Matters of the Heart
by EmbracingRain
Summary: Love is friendship set on fire. Slight AU. Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka. Chapter seven up. See full summary inside. HIATUS.
1. Prologue

_When her father-in-law is slaughtered in his sleep, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation escapes the tyranny of the palace with her 13-year-old son Zuko, the victim of a burn to his left eye at the hands of his father, and her brother-in-law, the retired General Iroh. They plan to take refuge in the Southern Water Tribe with the aid of Chief Hakoda. However, when an illness takes Ursa's life and Iroh is called back to the Fire Nation, Zuko is left to grow up under the watchful eye of Chief Hakoda._

_Years pass and Zuko finds that he has unintentionally caught the eye of the chief's daughter, Katara, a beautiful and sassy waterbender reluctantly being pursued by a childhood friend. Suddenly caught up in an unorthodox romance, Zuko finds that maybe love isn't so bad…if not a little messy._

* * *

**Ships: **Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka, possible Taang

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance

* * *

**A/N: All author's notes are important! I recommend you read them before every chapter. For all of you who are reading _Shaping Destiny_**** don't worry! It will be updated regularly, as will this story. However, I have just entered my senior year of high school and I am taking three AP classes the first semester. My schedule will be a little hectic for a while, so please be patient with the gaps between updates. I certainly have not forgotten my stories, nor will I forget them. I'm just a little busy now. **_**Matters of the Heart**_** (aka the story you are reading now) is a slight AU and is not related to **_**Shaping Destiny**_** in any way. I do like the concept of this story a little more than that of **_**Shaping Destiny**_**, but I am pleased with both. I hope you enjoy this prologue. It might seem a little rushed, but I liked the way it turned out. It's the prologue anyway; it's supposed to be shorter than the rest of the chapters. And the chapters will be longer than this. Enjoy!**

* * *

Matters of the Heart

By RupertLover09

* * *

Prologue

* * *

Ursa sighed as she paced the deck of the small Fire Nation ship, worry over being captured and taken back to her tyrannical husband never far from her mind. The sun had long since set on the eighth day of their journey to the Southern Water Tribe and safety; the ninth day was just beginning. On the opposite side of the deck, Ursa's son, Zuko, had fallen asleep with a book open in his lap. His hair had slipped out of its topknot at some point, and the raven locks brushed across his forehead as if trying to conceal the scar that covered the young boy's left eye. He had gotten so tall entirely too fast. Right before her eyes, Ursa's baby boy had turned into a young man. His slightly calloused fingers (calloused because he was a firebender) clenched his cloak tight around his body.

Ursa sighed as she watched over her son, wishing that she could have saved her daughter as well. But Azula was more than safe at the girls' academy far from the palace and Ozai's influence. It was a shame she had not had more time to get to know her daughter, to try and protect the girl from the evil that lurked within her own soul…

A cloak was draped around her shoulders, and General Iroh, Ozai's brother, melted into Ursa's peripheral vision. He was a short, rotund man nearly fifteen years Ursa's senior with a heart of gold. He smiled up at her pleasantly, the crow's feet at his eyes deepening at the action.

"You are ill, sister. Perhaps you should rest some before we reach our destination."

"You don't need to worry about me, Iroh. I'll be fine. Zuko is the only one who needs to be taken care of." Ursa glanced back at her son again, her eyebrows knit with worry.

Iroh hummed thoughtfully. "He is a strong young man."

Ursa's hands tightened on the railing of the ship and she stared resolutely at the water. "He was forced to grow up far too soon."

"One could not possibly deny that."

Silence reigned supreme for a while as the pair watched the first tints of the sunrise grace the sky. Fatigue finally registered in Ursa's mind; she had not slept in the past two days, she was ill, and it was all finally catching up to her. She cleared her throat, an action that led to an immediate coughing spell, the likes of which she had not experienced for the duration of her illness.

"Perhaps you should go below decks where it is warmer," Iroh suggested. "You could catch up on sleep. I would be glad to waken you when we reach our destination."

Ursa shook her head stubbornly, her long, black hair swishing against her shoulders. "I won't be able to rest until we get there; and I can't leave Zuko."

Iroh frowned but did not push the matter. "We should be there in little over an hour."

"They are aware of our arrival?"

"Yes. Chief Hakoda is a friend of mine. He will be greeting us there personally," Iroh replied. "He has made room in his house for us and says we are to stay however long we need."

"That's very kind of him."

"It is."

Ursa let a pause enter the conversation during which she coughed violently again before speaking. "Are…are there any children Zuko's age in the village?"

Iroh smiled. "There are. Hakoda himself is a widower with two children: a son exactly Zuko's age and a daughter not much younger."

"Their names?"

"Sokka and Katara."

Ursa let a small smile steal over her pale face. "How very Water Tribe."

"That is our destination."

Ursa laughed, her throat aching. "I suppose it is," she said. "Chief Hakoda's children…are they benders?"

"I must say that I do not know. I have never met them myself. They are said to be very fortunate-looking children. Katara is said to look very much like her mother whose beauty is said to be legendary."

The lady stared at her hands solemnly, worry over her son stealing into her mind and heart once more. "Will they welcome Zuko?" she whispered, her voice coming out rough from her coughing.

"I've no doubt that they will. The people of the Southern Water Tribe are kind and open-hearted. I do not doubt they raise their children with the same notions."

Ursa sighed. "I worry about him, Iroh."

"You are a mother, my dear sister. It is only natural."

"Sometimes I wonder if I sheltered him too much."

"You have done everything in your power to do what is right for him, Ursa. There is nothing wrong with protecting those you love; especially your children."

She coughed again, worse and more prolonged. Streaks of pink and orange were filtering into the sky now. Despite the fact that it was summer, the air in the southern hemisphere was dry and cold, reaching into Ursa's bones. The temperature probably would not be good for her condition.

"When will you be leaving?" she asked her brother-in-law.

"As soon as you are settled in with Hakoda. Two days at the most; I cannot afford to be gone long," Iroh replied. "I regret that I cannot stay longer, but my leaving at the time of your disappearance is bound to bring about suspicions." "I understand." Ursa smiled and squeezed his hand gently. "Thank you for getting us this far, Iroh."

"Mom?"

Ursa turned to see her son blinking at her through sleepy eyes. She smiled and beckoned to him. He rose from his spot and crossed the deck to her and she wrapped him in a hug.

"Good morning, darling."

"Morning, Mom, Uncle Iroh."

The retired General nodded jovially to his nephew. "Now that you are awake, perhaps I shall go see the cook about some tea." He shuffled through the doorway that led to a flight of stairs that took passengers of the ship below the deck and into the cabin.

"How did you sleep, Zuko?" Ursa asked.

He shrugged, golden eyes searching the horizon. "Okay, I guess. It's a little uncomfortable to sleep on the deck of a ship."

Mother smiled fondly at son. "We'll be arriving soon."

The young prince (because he _was_ a prince now that Ozai was Fire Lord) nodded, his shaggy hair sweeping across his forehead. He watched as the ship passed floating chunks of ice and snow-covered islands. "Is it like this all year round?" he asked, gesturing at the scenery.

"Of course."

"Will I be able to bend?"

"I don't know. It might be hard at first, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

"I'm not a master like Azula, Mom."

"Azula is far from being a master, darling. And even she would have trouble bending in such an environment."

Zuko scowled and changed the subject. "Where are we staying?"

"We'll be staying with Chief Hakoda; he is an old friend of your uncle's."

"Uncle is friends with a Water Tribe man?"

"Your uncle and your father a very different people, Zuko. It would be best for us if we kept our prejudices to ourselves."

"I'm not prejudiced, Mom. I just don't understand how Father and Uncle Iroh can be so different; they're brothers!" He looked up at his mother. "Are Azula and I like that?"

"You have your differences," Ursa assented, "but that is to be expected. No two people are alike."

"I don't want to be like Father."

Ursa smiled sadly at Zuko, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and marveling at the fact that they were nearly the same height. Was he really thirteen years old? "You are nothing like your father, darling."

* * *

Zuko stared around as the ship docked at the harbor in the Southern Water Tribe. The land was nothing but a vast, snowy landscape. Bathed in the colorful sunrise, the snow sparkled like a sea of the diamonds Zuko had once seen in the vault at the palace. The buildings were constructed of ice and there was a wooden street leading through the village. Really, it wasn't so much a village as it was a city like the one he had just left; only this one looked like it was made of delicate crystal instead of coals and brick.

On the dock, a tall, tanned man waited their arrival. Zuko noticed two children near his age flanking the man and turned to his uncle. "Is that Chief Hakoda?" he asked.

Iroh nodded. "Yes, he is."

"And who are the others?"

"His children, Katara and Sokka."

Zuko nodded thoughtfully. Making friends was not exactly a talent of his, but he supposed he could make an effort for Uncle and Mother if they were to be staying with the chief and his children. The family of three was dressed in warm parkas and seal skin boots. Zuko felt very out of place with his Fire Nation clothes. He wondered if these children would judge him for his heritage or his scar.

He watched the family closer as the crew prepared to lower the gangplank. On Chief Hakoda's right side stood his daughter, Katara. She was tall and willowy with long chestnut-colored hair that was tied back in a braid. A thin band of blue fabric was wrapped around her slender throat. Like her father and her brother, she had tan skin. What struck Zuko most about her was her vibrant blue eyes; he could see them even as he descended the gangplank beside his mother.

The son, Sokka, was slumped over and yawning, rubbing his eyes tiredly. His hair was shaved mostly, except for the top which was pulled back with a piece of leather. His sister would glance at him sharply every time he would yawn. He just shrugged at her, indifferent to the situation. There was a boomerang in his hands. Zuko wondered if the boy was a warrior.

Uncle Iroh and Chief Hakoda exchanged greetings, and Uncle began to make introductions that Zuko did not care to pay attention to.

"-And this is my nephew Zuko."

Zuko looked up as Uncle Iroh said his name, offering Hakoda a tense smile that the chief did not return. His mother had placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You must be tired from your journey. If you will follow me, we can get you settled into your rooms," the tribe leader said. He was a fierce-looking man with the same blue eyes as his daughter.

"Perhaps it would be nice if we let the children get to know one another," Iroh suggested.

Zuko blanched. So soon? He had been hoping to be in this strange land for at least a week before he went around making friends. He prayed silently that Chief Hakoda would not agree.

"That is an excellent idea, Iroh. Sokka," Hakoda turned to his son who snapped to attention immediately. "I trust you and your sister to make Zuko feel at home here."

The boy nodded. "Yes sir! We'll take him on the grand tour!"

The young firebender groaned inwardly. _Of course_ Hakoda would agree. Zuko had never had good luck.

Sokka's sister suddenly looked very stiff and cold. Her eyes narrowed as she shot a glance at Zuko. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. What was it that he could have possibly done _already_ that the girl was looking at him so coldly?

The adults walked off, Zuko's mother squeezed his shoulder and gave him a supporting look before she trailed behind the men, coughing roughly into her hand. Zuko frowned. _Mother's sick and she's been trying to hide it this entire time. She'll need to see a doctor._

Before Zuko could think any further, a parka-covered arm was slung around his shoulders. He looked at the owner, startled. Sokka was grinning down at him clownishly. Zuko promptly stepped away. He certainly was not one for close contact unless it was with his mother or his uncle.

"I'm Sokka," the Water Tribe boy held out his hand and Zuko shook it.

"Zuko."

"So I heard. How old are you?"

Zuko scowled. Already, the situation was too personal for him. "I'm thirteen."

"Hey! Me, too!" Sokka suddenly looked at his sister. "That's Katara," he said, jabbing a finger over his shoulder in her general direction. "She's twelve. We ignore her."

Katara snorted and walked on ahead of them, her head held high.

"Does she hate me or something?" Zuko asked, hardly giving thought to the fact that he was allowing for conversation.

"What?"

"She was looking at me really odd just a few seconds ago. Like she hates me."

"Who? Katara? Nah! She doesn't hate. She doesn't like to _put it out into the universe_," Sokka's tone was mocking. "No, don't worry about her. She's just a little…frosty." His face split into a smile and he howled with laughter, jabbing Zuko in the side with his elbow. "Frosty! Get it?"

Zuko edged away from the boy, wondering if he was slightly off his rocker. "…No."

"You mean nobody told you?"

"Told me what?"

"About Katara."

"Nobody really told me anything," Zuko said, shrugging.

"Oh. Well, observe for yourself." Sokka pointed to his sister.

Katara was twirling around in the snow, not unlike the ballerinas his mother had made him see with her once upon a time. She held her arms outstretched, and snow was trailing after her fingertips in thin diamond-like ribbons. A smile had broken out on her face, lighting up her entire being.

"She's a _bender_," Sokka said somewhat condescendingly. Zuko wondered if Sokka was jealous about his sister's abilities. If the boy carried a boomerang, he clearly was not a bender.

"A waterbender?" Zuko said.

"Yep. Dad and Gran Gran were so _proud_ the day they found out she could do it. She's the only one in the whole South Pole. Well, besides Gran-Pakku." Sokka stared at his sister. "It's cool and all, but it's not nearly as cool as being able to wield a weapon."

Zuko concluded that Sokka was, in fact, jealous of Katara's bending abilities.

"What about you? You a bender?"

Zuko nodded. "Fire."

Sokka actually looked impressed. "That's so awesome! Way cooler than Katara's sissy magic water!"

A handful of snow promptly smacked Sokka in the side of the head. Katara was glowering at her brother a few yards off, her arms crossed over her chest. Zuko didn't doubt she had bent the snow in her brother's direction.

"I _heard_ that, Sokka!"

The boy rolled his eyes, dusting the snow off of himself.

"For the thousandth time, it is not '_magic water_'! It's waterbending!" She was stomping over to them now, her blue eyes ablaze with irritation. Snow melted into puddles under her feet. Zuko instantly took a step back. A pissed off bender was not something he had been looking to encounter here in the Southern Water Tribe. Especially not during his first day when he wasn't sure he could protect himself!

Another blue figure was running toward the trio now. Squinting, Zuko saw that it was a bald boy much younger than himself.

"Katara! Katara!"

Katara looked around as the boy rushed up to her, panting from his run. He hunched over, placing his mitten-covered hands on his knees, pulling air in through his mouth desperately. There was a blue arrow on his bald head; it disappeared down the back of his parka.

"Katara, you-you gotta get to the village and-and help Master Pakku!" His gray eyes were wide with terror as he looked up at the waterbender, tugging on her hand. "That lady collapsed!"

"What lady?" Katara pulled her hand from the young boy's.

"_I_ don't know who she is. Master Pakku just told me to come find you and that boy."

The moment the boy's finger pointed in Zuko's direction, the young prince's world went silent. He was vaguely aware of the horrified look Katara gave him before grabbing his hand and tearing off through the snow. He followed her half-heartedly, stumbling over his own feet every few steps.

Sokka was following behind them shouting things that Zuko did not hear.

_Mother… No. She can't be that ill. She can't possibly be that ill. It's just a cough! We've hardly been apart five minutes! Mother never gets ill. It's nothing to worry about, she said so herself! It's just a cough! She can't be… She _can't!

But when he stumbled into a large room in Chief Hakoda's house behind Katara, his hand still clamped firmly in her smaller one, he could no longer believe himself. His mother was lying deathly still on a bed covered with furs and blankets. Her pale skin looked waxy and blue in the light from the candles.

Zuko's stomach reeled. Uncle Iroh was in the corner, his hands pressed to his eyes. There was a tall man in robes of royal blue gesturing to Katara who was crying and shaking her head.

"I can't heal illnesses, Pakku!" she was insisting, the beads in her hair tinkling as she shook her head vigorously. Tears streamed steadily down her cheeks. "There's nothing I can do!"

Zuko's world went black.

* * *

He did not cry as he watched the ship disappear into the distance. He felt like his tear ducts were all dried up like one of the Fire Nation canals in the peak of summer. Uncle was leaving to return to his post in the palace, Mother was gone…and Zuko was left to live with Chief Hakoda and his children here in the South Pole.

His mother's body was on the ship. Uncle was taking her back to the Fire Nation for a proper burial. Zuko had watched as Katara tried to cure his mother with hands encased in glowing water. But she was only twelve; her bending was not yet strong enough.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help," he heard her whisper beside him. She dug the toe of her seal skin boot into the snow.

"I don't blame you," Zuko replied, his voice no louder than hers. "You did all you could."

"If my training was more thorough I could have done more."

"You're hardly any younger than I am. You did all that was in your power and more. I've never seen water glow like that before."

"I was taught to heal." Katara was wringing her hands together, her head was bowed. "But even a healer can't cure an illness. We called for a physician but he didn't know what your mother had. My father was going to write to an Earth Kingdom woman."

"Your father is a very kind person."

"He wanted very badly to help in every way he could. Ever since my mother died he's been doing his best to protect everyone."

"Your mother died?" Zuko asked, turning his head to look at the girl next to him. She touched her necklace, the thin piece of blue Zuko had seen wrapped around her neck from the deck of the ship hardly three days ago.

"Yes. Just over a year ago."

Zuko nodded. He was equal to this girl; they had something in common. They could be friends, he thought. If he tried hard enough, he could be friends with this Water Tribe girl. Her brother…maybe. But he could be friends with Katara.

She wrapped her arms around her ribs, hugging herself. "When you got off that ship three days ago, I was very jealous of you. You had a mother who cared about you. I had nothing but my father and brother and Gran Gran and Pakku. That's why I was mean and angry. But I want you to know that I would never wish this on you. I did everything I could to help. I did my very best, but….I suppose my best wasn't good enough."

He frowned. "Your best was good enough, Katara."

She stood there hugging herself until he placed a hand on her shoulder. Then, she looked up at him, her blue eyes vibrant and shining against her tanned skin. Zuko cast her a crooked smile. "I think we should be friends," he said.

Katara nodded. "Me, too."

* * *

Okay! Please, please, _please_ review! I take questions and comments but not flames. If you do flame I'll just laugh at you…a lot. I should have chapter one up soon, depending on the amount of homework I get over the course of next week. I will try to update every Friday or Saturday, but no promises.

Anway…Review!


	2. Chapter I

_When her father-in-law is slaughtered in his sleep, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation escapes the tyranny of the palace with her 13-year-old son Zuko, the victim of a burn to his left eye at the hands of his father, and her brother-in-law, the retired General Iroh. They plan to take refuge in the Southern Water Tribe with the aid of Chief Hakoda. However, when an illness takes Ursa's life and Iroh is called back to the Fire Nation, Zuko is left to grow up under the watchful eye of Chief Hakoda._

_Years pass and Zuko finds that he has unintentionally caught the eye of the chief's daughter, Katara, a beautiful and sassy waterbender reluctantly being pursued by a childhood friend. Suddenly caught up in an unorthodox romance, Zuko finds that maybe love isn't so bad…if not a little messy._

_**Ships: **__Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka, possible Taang_

_**Rating: **__T_

_**Genre: **__Romance_

* * *

_**A/N: So, it should be pretty evident in this chapter that I'm not a huge fan of Aang. I find him to be whiny and childish. He always gets what he wants and things always work out in his favor. I think it's high time he was disappointed. I really like how this chapter turned out; I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Zuko might be a little OOC, but I think that if he grew up with the gang, he might have turned out a little different.**_

* * *

Matters of the Heart

By RupertLover09

* * *

_Zuko cast her a crooked smile. "I think we should be friends," he said._

_Katara nodded. "Me, too."_

* * *

Chapter I

"Love is friendship set on fire." - Jeremy Taylor

_Five Years Later…_

* * *

Laughter swirled up into the sky on the tendrils of smoke curling out of chimneys and the breeze that whirled gently through the air. Snow wafted down onto the village, mingling with the youthful laughter and floating into the hair of three teens dashing through the wooden streets and walkways of the tribe.

"You guys are so slow," one of the boys called over his shoulder as he raced ahead. "If you don't hurry up, we're gonna be late!" He was tall and lanky with tan skin and laughing blue eyes. Beneath his winter parka, the boy was thin but surprisingly strong. A warrior's heart beat strongly in his chest.

"Sokka," said the only girl of the group, placing her hands on her hips. "Aren't we all a little old to go penguin sledding?"

"C'mon, Katara! It's your birthday!"

The girl rolled eyes the exact shade Sokka's and flipped her chestnut colored hair over her shoulder. "_Exactly_. I'm seventeen now. That's too old to be sledding down hills on penguins, right, Zuko?"

The third member of the group looked at her with golden eyes; one of them was marred by a scar and was half-hidden by his jet black hair. Amusement flashed across his pale face as he moved to stand next to the slightly shorter boy so as to get a better look at his waterbending friend. "Your brother's right, Katara."

She scowled at him. "You're supposed to be on _my _side, Zuko."

His only response was to grin crookedly at her, an action that made her turn away abruptly as her heart jolted in her chest. Instead of looking at her brother or her friend, she stared resolutely at a group of small children building a snowman. The scene made her smile. The snowman was disproportional and small, but the kids were adorable. Katara's blue eyes alit on the figure of someone too tall and much too old to be playing with four- and five-year-olds. The hood of his handmade parka was pulled up over his bald head, but the tip of a blue arrow peeked out beneath the fur lined edge. He grinned and waved when he saw her.

"Happy birthday, Katara!"

"Thanks, Aang," she called back, returning his wave.

"I'll stop by your house later, alright?" Aang's voice carried through the air on the wind which almost snatched his sentence away with a sudden gust.

Katara nodded and turned back to her brother and Zuko. Sokka was smirking at her with his arms folded over his chest. Zuko suddenly looked stony and sullen. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Would you look at that, Zuko?" Sokka said to Zuko instead of answering his sister. "Our little Katara's all grown up and she has a _boyfriend_!"

"Sok-kaaa!" Katara whined. "Aang is not my boyfriend! You _know_ that."

"Well," the warrior said, "_I_ might, but I doubt that he does. I mean, with the way you keep leading him on, I'm surprised the kid hasn't gone to Dad yet."

Katara groaned. "I am _not_ leading him on, Sokka. And don't even joke about him going to Dad. It's the furthest thing from funny since one of your jokes." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zuko smirk. She fixed her eyes resolutely upon her older brother. Now was not the time for her to be focusing on her best friend and how the way he smirked made her heart stutter.

The trio began to make their way toward the hills again, their boots crunching in the snow and ice.

"I'm not joking about it," Sokka said. "Seriously, ever since you came of age, the only guy in not our family who _hasn't_ come on to you is Zuko." He turned to look at the other boy who was bending a small flame in his hands. "Dude, you're not docking your ship on the other side of the harbor, are you?"

The flame in the palm of Zuko's hand went out and he stopped walking to glower at his friend. "What does that even _mean?_"

"Suki taught it to me!" Sokka exclaimed, sounding insulted.

Katara and Zuko laughed, their faces contorted with mirth. The waterbender leaned against her firebending friend as she laughed, her hand placed on one of his broad shoulders to keep her balance. "Your make believe girlfriend? The one you met when you were on that trip with Dad to Kyoshi island?" she teased her brother.

Sokka scowled. "Suki is very much real, Katara."

"Right," Katara drawled, amusement ringing in her voice. "And I'm a polar bear dog!"

Zuko snorted, the smirk on his face growing. "If Katara's a polar bear dog, then I'm a two-headed fish."

"I don't get why the two of you always have to pick on me! Suki's real, and one day you're gonna meet her. Then, you'll regret not believing me."

Katara shook her head, her playful smile never leaving her face. "Okay, Sokka. Whatever you say. But the last one to the top of the hill is a rotten dragon egg!"

She took off running, her long brown hair streaming behind her in silky ribbons. The boys stared after her, one admiring his only female friend, the other sulking that he had just been made fun of by his sister…again.

"To answer your question," Zuko stated dryly, "I am not '_docking my ship on the other side of the harbor_.'" He glowered at Sokka. "I think Katara's pretty and that she's a great girl; but we're friends. That's all."

The firebender took off like an arrow from a bow suddenly, quickly catching up with Katara. Sokka gaped after them before running after them clumsily. He'd never had the lightness of feet his sister seemed to posses and he was nowhere near as agile as his friend so he lost the race to the top of the hill by a significant amount. Immediately, the warrior found himself pelted with a snowball. It hit him in the side of the head and the snow slid down the collar of his parka.

Katara laughed as she watched her brother leaping about, whimpering as the powdery substance invaded his clothing. "Stop dancing around and grab a penguin, Sokka," she grinned.

"Easy for you to say," he groused under his breath as he watched his sister disappear down the steep hill on the back of a penguin, followed soon after by the Fire Nation boy on another of the feathery creatures. Sokka looked around, his blue eyes landing on a penguin that seemed to be eyeing him suspiciously. "He-ey there, lil' guy," Sokka cooed, holding out a hand to the penguin. "You mind if I-"

The penguin lunged forward, nipping at Sokka's outstretched, glove-covered hand. Sokka shrieked in a very unmanly way and toppled over into the snow, glad that neither his sister nor Zuko was around to witness it. All of a sudden, the penguin had hopped onto Sokka's chest and seemed to be glaring at him with beady, black eyes. Sokka gulped and stared back at the penguin as he began to slip backwards down the hill, the tuxedo-clad creature still perched proudly on his chest and glaring into his eyes. The Water Tribe swordsman began to panic. Why was he sliding backwards? Why was he going down the hill headfirst and on his back? Was this beady-eyed penguin determined to do him in for no apparent reason?

Sokka screeched as he slid down the hill on his back, the penguin still standing on his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying to the spirits that if he had to leave the world this way, that they would make it quick and painless. A never ending mantra of 'shit' repeatedly marched its way through his mind. If he lived through this, Katara would _never_ let him live it down. He'd set out with Katara's best friend to take her penguin sledding for her birthday. Katara and Zuko had completed the mission while Sokka was currently being surfed down the suddenly terrifyingly steep hill by a penguin!

The stupid, evil, flightless bird was _Sokka sledding!_

* * *

Katara squinted at the sight before her. Sokka was zooming down the hill at top speed, but he wasn't using a penguin. The birthday girl looked harder. Something was sitting on her brother's chest, but she wasn't quite sure what. The thing was black and white and…

"What in the name of Agni is he _doing_?" Zuko muttered next to her.

"I think…that there's a penguin sitting on him," Katara replied, a fit of giggles coursing through her system.

Zuko grinned as he looked at her. "Please tell me you're never going to let him live this down."

"KATARAAAAA!…HELP MEEEEEE!"

She returned Zuko's grin with an equally mischievous one of her own. "Oh, I think it's pretty much a guarantee that I won't." She brought her arms forward in an exceedingly forceful movement that contained so much grace and beauty that Zuko was momentarily rendered catatonic. He'd always had a somewhat soft spot when it came to Katara since the day they'd agreed to be friends, and her waterbending always made him somewhat more aware that she was a girl than he was comfortable with. He didn't know exactly why that was, but he thought it had something to do with the fact that it made her look…different.

Sokka thumped into the wall of snow Katara had created with a loud "Oomph!" and the penguin on his chest let out an angry squawk before waddling away, it's feathers rumpled. Katara roared with laughter and Zuko chuckled along with her as Sokka stood, slightly dazed.

"I don't know if you know how penguin sledding is supposed to work, Sokka," the boy's sister said, "but usually one slides down a snow covered hill on a penguin. In fact, I don't think that you're supposed to let the _penguin _use _you_ as a sled."

Sokka frowned at her. "You're mean."

Katara stuck out her tongue childishly in response to his immature remark. "What's next on your list of things to do, oh great party planner?"

"What? You don't want to go for another run?"

She frowned. "Sokka, we're not exactly twelve and thirteen years old anymore. I think the penguins would appreciate it if we didn't slide down hills on their backs now. One run was good enough for me. We're not exactly as small as we once were."

"You callin' me fat?" Sokka joked.

"The next place we were going to go was your grandmother's for the party," Zuko cut in. "But we don't have to be there for a while. I suppose we could-"

"Oooh! I've got an idea!" Sokka's face lit up and he looked at his sister. "We could go fishing!"

Katara wrinkled her nose. "Ew. I don't want to go _fishing_ on my birthday, Sokka."

"Why not? You could catch fish with your magic waterbending. It would be fun!"

"Apparently our definitions of fun aren't exactly the same," Katara said. "And, for the last time, waterbending isn't magic!"

Sokka pouted. "Fine. I have to be at Gran-gran's anyway to help set up for your stupid party. Remember to wear something nice. It's some sort of formal thing and she would be mad if you showed up all _in_formal or whatever." He turned to Zuko. "Be nice to my sister, jerkbender, or I'll kick your ass."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Sure, Sokka."

The warrior nodded and ran off clumsily through the snow, tripping himself up every few feet. Katara and Zuko turned in the opposite direction, walking slowly towards the rocky shore of the land, enjoying each other's company. They paused where the waves lapped up onto the icy rocks and Katara picked up one of the smooth stones, skipping it out far into the water where it disappeared from view.

Zuko stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Are you excited for your party?"

Katara sighed, flinging another rock out into the waves. "I probably should be, but… Well, it's like now that I've come of age, all the parties that Dad and Gran-gran throw are formal. I feel like they're parading me around for every eligible guy in the village to see. It's kind of like I'm on display," she said. She paused before adding, "And I always get stuck dancing with Aang."

"You don't like him?" Zuko asked, wondering why he was hoping Katara would say no.

"He's alright, I suppose. But he's more like a little brother. We grew up together and I don't want to hurt his feelings, but I just could never see him the way he sees me." Katara bent down and scooped up another rock, turning it over and over in her hands before speaking up again. "I kind of wish my mom was here sometimes. She'd know the right thing to do."

Zuko pondered his response to her statement before saying it. "Well…I mean, I know I'm not your mom and I'm not great at the whole advice thing," he scratched his head, ruffling his raven locks, "but if you want me to, I'd gladly escort you tonight so Aang leaves you alone."

"Really?" She flung the rock out into the ocean and looked up at him.

"Yeah. We're friends, right? I'll do it as a favor to you."

Katara grinned and threw her arms around her best friend. "You're the best, Zuko!"

Zuko laughed and hugged her back, wrapping his arms tightly around her lithe body. "I wouldn't say that, but thanks."

* * *

Katara stared at the rack of dresses in the dressing area off of her room. The bedroom itself was large and open with a grouping of chairs and a couch that sat before a steadily burning fire and a large bed on top of a raised platform. The bed was covered in fine blue silks and warm furs. There was a canopy that hung above it made of yard upon yard of shimmering blue fabric that changed shades when the light hit it correctly. Large, wooden beams crossed the icy ceiling and stood in the corners of the room. Plush blue, purple, and teal rugs covered the snowy floors and a spiraling staircase in one corner led to Katara's own private library and study.

The dressing room in which Katara stood pondering the evening's dress possibilities held a vanity and stool and rack upon rack of clothes. The vanity held a small amount of makeup and a hairbrush; Katara had never been one for using more than the necessary amount of face paints. A changing screen stood in one corner. It was painted elaborately with a picture of the sun setting over the ocean.

Katara plucked a blue dress from one of the rods and then, making a face, stuffed it back. Before Zuko had offered to escort her to her party, she had been concerned very little about what she was going to wear, but now here she sat agonizing about it. The blue dress was one of her favorites and she had been planning on wearing it, but for some reason it didn't seem very fitting now. Her blue eyes alit on the only white dress in her closet and she sighed. The dress stood on a mannequin near the center of the room, the color of a new snowfall. It was a beautiful creation, all white silk and fur trim with an equally white cloak draped around it. When worn, the dress fell gracefully from the wearer's shoulders and the sleeves hugged the arms intimately as did the bodice of the dress. The dress flowed straight to the ground where it pooled around the feet of whoever wore it and a short train trailed from the back. Draped about the waist of the dress was a fur belt that was held together by a small, round brooch with the Water Tribe insignia on it. The sleeves, the top of the dress, and the bottom of the dress were all trimmed with the same white fur that made up the belt.

The cloak was lined with more white fur and the outside was made of the same white silk as the dress. It was held together with a clasp exactly like the one on the belt near where the wearer's left collarbone would sit. A hood adorned the back of the cloak and it, too, was trimmed in white fur.

It was Katara's mother's wedding dress.

Katara sighed wistfully as she looked at the dress. How many times had she imagined wearing that dress? How many times had she imagined herself floating down an aisle draped in the flowing gown on her father's arm to an altar where Zuko stood waiting for her-

Katara started and backed away from the dress slowly.

Since when had the faceless man waiting at the altar become Zuko? The man had been faceless ever since she had come of marriageable age two years ago at the age of fifteen when her father presented her with the dress! How had Zuko suddenly fit into the picture? Sure, he was handsome in a dark and brooding sort of way, but he was her best friend! She shouldn't be thinking those kinds of thoughts about him!

Shoving the images out of her mind, Katara turned away from the wedding finery and towards the racks of dresses she had been looking at previously. Her eyes landed on a lilac and violet ensemble and she grinned, immediately tugging it off the hanger it had been hung on. It wasn't her favorite dress (it ranked as number two), but it definitely was the nicest in her closet and Gran-gran would probably be happy if she wore it.

_Plus,_ Katara thought, eyeing the beribboned box on her vanity with a smile, _it'll match Zuko's birthday present._

* * *

Zuko stared. He probably shouldn't have been, but he was.

Katara had just swept down the stairs, all grace and poise in a purple dress and looking the exact role of the chief's daughter. Which, he had to remind himself, she _was_. Zuko shifted uncomfortably, suddenly very much aware that he was all alone in Hakoda's mansion of an ice house with his best friend who was looking very much like the young woman she had come to be. She was looking up at him shyly and biting her bottom lip.

"Well?" she said. "How do I look?"

Zuko stared some more, taking in the strapless purple silk dress. It hugged her curves (since when did Katara have curves?!) and flared gently at her hips, brushing the floor when she moved. It was trimmed in a lighter purple silk and seemed to shimmer in the dying light. He noticed, as he raised his golden eyes to her throat, that she had discarded her mother's necklace for the evening in favor of the one he had presented to her when they'd come back from penguin sledding. He had had a hard time finding that necklace. It was nothing more than a purple satin ribbon with a silver chain sewn on from which a series of sapphires and amethysts shaped like drops of rain had been hung, but the piece had reminded him so strongly of his friend that he'd bought it on the spot, not minding the cost in the least.

Katara had pulled her hair up halfway and she had fixed the hair loopies he'd remembered from their younger years into the hairstyle.

Zuko continued to stare, completely lost for words. "Are-aren't you going to be cold?" he finally managed to stammer out. Katara's face fell and he groaned inwardly. Here she was, looking the prettiest he had ever seen her, and all he could do was_ ask if she was going to be cold._ Never mind saying, 'You look fantastic!' or, 'That color really suits you.' or even, 'Hey, did you know that for my best friend, you're pretty hot right now?'

No. Zuko preferred to ask the girl he was escorting to her seventeenth birthday party if she was going to be cold. He wanted nothing more to sink into the floor right then and there.

"Does it really look that bad?" Katara asked, stepping back and looking down at her outfit. "I thought it looked okay…"

"No, that didn't come out right," Zuko interrupted her. "It's just…you look…different." Her face fell even more. Zuko slapped a hand to his forehead and let it slide down his face. "I mean…you…I… Look. I'm no good at this."

Katara frowned. "That's obvious." She sounded amused.

"Hey, this is new territory for me, alright? I'm not good with the compliment thing. You look do nice, though." Relief washed through the firebender as his elemental opposite's face lit up.

"See?" She said, a smile spreading across her face. "That's all you needed to say. And as for the cold thing," she added, slinging a matching, fur-lined cloak around her shoulders and fastening it, "I'm good."

* * *

Katara laughed at the sarcastic comments Zuko was muttering in her ear about various guests at the party as he twirled her around the dance floor. Though he was closed off to those he didn't know, Katara decided that her friend was a very funny person when he chose to be. Her grandparents' mansion was filled to the brim with people from every corner of the village, most of whom she had never met. Those were the people Zuko was making remarks on. She knew this wasn't so much a birthday party as it was yet another chance for her father to show her off to the many eligible boys of her age group. Katara, however, only had eyes for her best friend tonight.

Tonight he looked like the Fire Nation prince she knew him to be. Gran-gran had fashioned him a black and silver robe for the evening in the traditional Fire Nation style. Black hair hung messily in his face as per his usual style. Katara glared at a group of giggling girls who were eyeing Zuko from across the room. The girls immediately turned somber and looked away.

Katara and Zuko whirled past a confused Sokka and a sulking Aang. She flashed them both a brilliant smile as she swirled past. Sokka returned the smile tentatively, but Aang scowled and looked away. The waterbender paid the boys no mind. Nothing, not even her brother's suddenly angry at Zuko expression nor her childhood friend's sullen attitude, was going to bring her down from the cloud she was on.

"I think I might have to hand you off to Aang here soon," Zuko whispered in her ear.

Except for that.

"What?" Katara snapped, looking up into his face with a frown.

Zuko shrugged. "He looks really upset."

"But you're my escort to this thing," Katara hissed. "_You're _supposed to be the one dancing with me; not Aang!"

"Katara, I've been dancing with you _all night_. If I dance with you anymore, people are going to talk."

"People always talk. Besides, if I dance with him, I'll just be stringing him along, won't I?"

"You're being unreasonable."

"No I'm not!"

"Katara. There are two dances left before you open your presents. _Two._ If you dance the next one with Aang, I'll find you for the last one."

"I'll get you back for this, Zuko."

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

Kanna smiled as she watched her granddaughter sweep fluidly across the floor with the young firebender. Truth be told, she had a soft spot for the boy and had taken a shine to him from the moment she had first met him. Zuko was a tough person to get to know, but for reasons unknown to the grandmother, he had opened his heart willingly to Katara soon after Iroh had gone. They were a dynamic and beautiful pair, the fire prince and Kanna's granddaughter, and whispers were circulating the room as people observed them moving about the floor. Occasionally, Katara would throw her head back with a joyous laugh and Zuko would smile down at her in an adoring manner.

The elderly woman shuffled to her son's side. "Have you seen your daughter and Zuko tonight, Hakoda?"

"I have," the chief replied, folding his arms across his chest. "They've never left each other's sight."

"Aren't you pleased with that?"

Hakoda shrugged and snagged a flute of champagne off a tray a servant was making his way through the throngs of people with. "He's her escort, Mother."

Kanna hummed thoughtfully. "They are quite lovely together."

Her son grunted in response.

"You know, Hakoda, if you don't want your daughter married off, then maybe you should stop throwing her such elaborate parties. I'm sure Katara would have been many times happier with a small gathering of her closest friends and family."

Hakoda frowned. "I enjoy giving my daughter the best."

"Yes. You do. But have you ever stopped to consider what she truly wants? Katara is not a greedy girl; she asks for nothing, but you give her everything. She says nothing against what you provide her with, but have you ever stopped to consider she is nothing like the other girls in the village?"

"I know my own daughter, Mother. I have been her father since the day of her conception. I do what is best for her. This is what's best for her."

Kanna sighed and patted her son's arm. "Very well, Son. If you absolutely believe so."

The band struck up a new song and Kanna watched as Katara reluctantly allowed Zuko to hand her off to Aang, the airbending orphan the tribe had taken in when his caretakers drowned in a shipwreck. Katara's once-laughing face turned into a carefully crafted mask, somber and slightly disinterested. Kanna watched on as the young boy chattered away to Katara. The waterbender nodded every so often and sometimes offered her young friend a terse smile, but she said nothing. Frowning, Kanna turned away. She had seen the gray-eyed boy throw himself at Katara for two years, and for two years she had witnessed Katara trying to shrug off her friend's advances. If something didn't change soon, Kanna would have to sit down with the little airbender for a talk.

* * *

"So, jerkbender," Sokka said, leaning his back against the wall in the same fashion as Zuko. "Since when do you escort my little sister to parties? I thought the two of you were 'just friends.'"

Zuko frowned. "We are. I was doing her a favor." His eyes followed Katara and Aang around the ballroom floor. Katara looked hideously bored and she kept wincing. She was taller than Aang by a good four or five inches and they made an awkward couple.

"Since when do you do people favors?"

"She needed me to help her keep Aang out of her hair for one night. So I did." The firebender punctuated his sentence with a nonchalant shrug.

"Doesn't look that way to me. They're dancing with each other right now."

Zuko watched Katara wince again. "Actually, I think he's stepping all over her feet. I told her she had to dance with him one time, otherwise people would talk."

"Man, people are already talking," Sokka said, snorting as he laughed. "Yeah, Gran-gran was talking to Dad about it, and I swear I heard these two old guys betting on when the two of you would sneak out together."

"Fantastic," Zuko muttered sarcastically.

"For the record," Sokka stated, "if you_ ever_ get it into your Fire Nation mind to sneak _anywhere_ with my sister for _any_ amount of time, I will fully invoke my right as her older brother to kick your ass."

Zuko stared at his friend's brother. "What is it with you and kicking my ass all of a sudden? I'm just barely interested in Katara as more than a friend. Shouldn't you be threatening Aang?"

Sokka shrugged. "Eh. He'd probably tell on me. 'Sides, the kid's so used to getting what he wants that if someone told him to keep his hands off Katara he might actually cry."

Katara stumbled by awkwardly with Aang, glaring darkly at Zuko over the top of the younger boy's head. The effectiveness of the glare was cut off when Aang stepped on her foot again and she let out a yelp of pain.

"S-sorry!" Aang stuttered.

Zuko chuckled quietly and stepped away from the wall. "I think I'm going to go rescue your sister from her tormenter now."

Sokka nodded and watched as his friend cut into the dance. Katara took the pale boy's proffered hand and the pair spun away, leaving a depressed looking Aang behind them. Fire and water wove about the dance floor as Aang shuffled up to Sokka's side, his shoulders hunched and his head bowed.

"I kept stepping on her feet," he whined.

The swordsman nodded, not really paying attention to his sister's young suitor. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever. Did Zuko just say to me that he's _just barely _interested in Katara as more than a friend?"

Aang shrugged. "I dunno. What do you think it means that Katara didn't say anything when I was talking to her?"

Sokka pushed himself away from the wall. "I've gotta go talk to Dad and Gran-gran. I'll see you around, Aang." He pushed his way clumsily through the crowds of people in search of his father and grandmother. If Zuko was _just barely_ interested in Katara that meant Aang was going to have some serious competition if this little escort thingy between Katara and Zuko turned into anything. Not that it would be much of a competition. Sokka had a feeling Katara would rather marry a gigantic skunk bear than spend the rest of her life with Aang. The path Sokka had taken led him right to his grandmother's side.

"Gran-gran!"

The old woman turned to face him and smiled. "There you are, Sokka. How are you enjoying the party?"

Sokka shrugged. "The food was good, but I'm not really one for all this formal dancing," he replied. "Anyway, you've seen Katara and Zuko tonight, right?"

"Yes, I have," Kanna replied, nodding to the floor where the pair was garnering what Sokka would assume was unwanted attention that they seemed unusually oblivious to. Katara was smiling again. "They look lovely."

"Yeah, what is _with _that?" Sokka said, waving his arms through the air dramatically and nearly upsetting a tray of drinks that a servant was carrying. "I mean, Katara's all smiley and happy when she's dancing with Zuko, but then he passes her off to Aang for barely half a dance and she looks borderline suicidal. Then, Mister Jerkbender tells me that he 'just barely' sees Katara as more than a friend and starts dancing with her again! _I don't understand!_"

"Well," Kanna said, her eyes never leaving the dancing friends, "it seems to me that Zuko offered to escort your sister to her party so her evening wouldn't be quite so unbearable and the whole situation ended up bringing about some hidden feelings."

"Hidden feelings?!" Sokka spluttered, feeling his eyes grow wide. Since when did his baby sister have hidden feelings for Zuko and vice-versa?!

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Sokka. They don't seem to have realized it yet."

"Oh." Sokka relaxed, watching his sister and friend for a moment before turning back to his grandmother. "What do you mean '_yet_'?!"

* * *

Katara unhooked the necklace from around her neck and examined it, enjoying the way the stones glittered in the torchlight. Smiling to herself, she placed the necklace back in its box and exited her dressing room, padding across the rug-covered floor to her bed. Before she could do so much as pull the covers back, there was a quiet knock at her door. Pulling the belt of her sleeping robes tighter around her waist, Katara crossed over to her door and opened it, startled to find Zuko waiting outside.

"…Hi," he said.

Katara felt a thrill go up her spine at the sound of his voice and she beat it back, forcing away the blush that accompanied it. "Hi."

"I know you wanted to just come home and go to bed, but do you want to go for a walk with me instead?"

* * *

Okay! Please, please, _please_ review! If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. And if any of you want to do some sort of art for this story and you have a deviantart account, let me know that you've done a drawing via email or PM and I'll check it out and post it on my profile. Also, if you have any ideas for the story, let me know and I'll try to work them in.

Anywho! Review, please!


	3. Chapter II

_When her father-in-law is slaughtered in his sleep, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation escapes the tyranny of the palace with her 13-year-old son Zuko, the victim of a burn to his left eye at the hands of his father, and her brother-in-law, the retired General Iroh. They plan to take refuge in the Southern Water Tribe with the aid of Chief Hakoda. However, when an illness takes Ursa's life and Iroh is called back to the Fire Nation, Zuko is left to grow up under the watchful eye of Chief Hakoda._

_Years pass and Zuko finds that he has unintentionally caught the eye of the chief's daughter, Katara, a beautiful and sassy waterbender reluctantly being pursued by a childhood friend. Suddenly caught up in an unorthodox romance, Zuko finds that maybe love isn't so bad…if not a little messy._

**Ships: **Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka, possible Taang

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure

* * *

**A/N: Check out the Q and A section at the bottom! I put it there so I could answer everyone's questions since some of you review anonymously. Also, I know I do a preview section after every chapter of **_**Shaping Destiny**_**, but I decided to do a little something different for this story. At the end of each chapter, I'm putting the following chapter's quote. It's like a preview, only…not. Haha. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. It took me a long time to write as I was suddenly struck with a bout of writer's block. I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many times I'm almost sick of it. But I hope you like it!**

* * *

Matters of the Heart

By RupertLover09

* * *

This story in its entirety is dedicated to:  
the one guy who I can't wait to see again,  
who makes everything ok,  
who's stuck with me for ten years,  
who's never let me go…  
you are everything to me.

* * *

"_I know you wanted to just come home and go to bed, but do you want to go for a walk with me instead?"_

* * *

Chapter II

Well, I was sixteen when suddenly/I wasn't that little girl you used to see/But your eyes still shined like pretty lights - "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" by Taylor Swift

* * *

Katara's breath puffed out of her mouth, hanging in the air like a cloud of smoke. She clomped through the snow at Zuko's side, her hand secured in the crook of his elbow. Both teens were silent as they waded through the snow banks down toward the dock. The dock was their spot, something the others in the village recognized and respected. Feeling as though she was being scrutinized by her friend as they drifted under the moon, Katara looked up to see Zuko snap his golden eyes from her face and to the snowy expanse before them.

"What?" she questioned, feeling self-conscious.

Zuko shrugged his broad shoulders, a smirk playing about his lips.

"Nothing, Katara."

She frowned. Why was he smirking? Was there something on her face? The waterbender swiped a hand over her countenance and then examined her palm; it was clean.

"Really, what is it?" she prodded, confused.

"Nothing. I was just thinking is all."

"Okay…," Katara chose to leave it at that, knowing that pressing the firebender for information would get her nowhere. Zuko was the kind of person that kept things to himself unless his thoughts were dragged out of him.

At the edge of the dock, she studied the reflections of their faces in the icy water. Zuko looked pensive, baffled almost. Katara wondered why her father always pressured her to accept Aang's attempts at courting her than he did for her to spend time with Zuko. While it was true that Aang was a bright, cheerful person with a love for anything fun, he was still considered a child by the tribe's standards. Perhaps her dad thought she needed someone young and boisterous to keep her happy…but what did he know of her ideals? She clutched desperately at the blue necklace around her throat.

_I wish you were here, Mom. I wish you were here more than I ever have before…_

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Katara lay awake in her bed that night, watching as the dying flames of the fire cast flickering shadows upon the walls of her room. The dimming fire made the room drafty and cool and she missed walking along with Zuko in the snow, warmth spreading through her body from their body contact. His 'inner fire' he called it. It made him warm. He probably had no trouble staying warm at night.

Katara wondered why she was suddenly most likely falling for her best friend. She wondered why he had asked her to go for a walk and hardly spoken a word to her, merely sneaking looks at her out of the corner of his eye when he thought she wasn't looking. She wondered why she let Aang attempt to court her and never told him 'no.' She wondered if that was because she didn't want to hurt the airbender's feelings. She wondered if she would ever be able to tell her father that she was perfectly happy making her own decisions.

Somewhere in the midst of her shadow watching and her wonderings, Katara slipped into sleep.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Zuko lay flat on his back, eyes staring unfocused at the icy ceiling above him. He was at a complete loss to describe what he suddenly seemed to be feeling for his waterbending friend. Peace of mind evaded him. Katara was just down the hall, most likely asleep. Zuko wanted more than anything to be able to talk to her. Ever since they had decided to become friends five years prior, he had discussed everything under the sun with her. And now he was eighteen and she was seventeen and…things just weren't the same. Now, he couldn't talk to her. Not when his feelings concerned her.

He felt as though the close bond they had developed in their younger years was deteriorating as adulthood swept into their lives.

The firebender had had his fair share of girlfriends; the girls of the South Pole seemed to find him intriguing. What they found, though, was nothing what they ever expected and hardly any of them had stuck around long enough to crack his cold exterior to find out who he was underneath. Some of them had even confessed to being intimidated by his relationship with Katara. Zuko had never courted anyone he did not truly like; it simply was not in his nature to lead a girl on. But his feelings for Katara seemed different somehow. He could not put a finger on the difference, though.

It was true that he found her physically attractive, but then he did not know of one male in the tribe who met her and did not find her to be so. Katara was one of those understated, natural beauties that, when people took notice of her, they couldn't seem to stop. And she had definitely been graced with a figure. But somewhere down the line, he had stopped paying attention to her physical attributes (probably a short time after his more awkward phase of puberty had passed and he had gotten used to her again) and gone back to paying attention to her personality and the little quirks that made up her character.

Like the fact that she was so caring and mothering. Zuko found it…nice to watch her interact with the village children, sometimes getting sucked into the rambunctious play himself.

The firebender wondered if what he felt for Katara was stronger, more potent because they were friends. Maybe it was just a part of being her friend. Maybe if you were her friend, you were more attached to her and liked her more simply because of who she was.

_That has to be it,_ Zuko told himself firmly as he rolled onto his side and prepared to go to sleep. _That has to be it because there is __**no way**__ I have feelings for Katara._

Having successfully deluded himself for the time being, the firebender shut his eyes tight and urged his mind to calm so he could achieve at least a few hours of sleep before the sun rose, waking him as its heat flooded his veins and strengthened his inner fire.

* * *

_Two weeks later…_

* * *

Aang watched from a distance as Katara refined the stance of one of the younger waterbenders that she was helping Pakku train. A few yards away, Zuko and Sokka could be seen engaged in a mock duel, swords flashing silvery and bright in the late afternoon sun.

The airbender sighed. Sometimes he wished there was somebody he could teach or train with; somebody his age. Katara was just about two years older than him and Zuko and Sokka were just a year older than her. Aang supposed that made them around his age, but he really wished that there was somebody around his age that was just as much an outsider as he was. Katara, Zuko, and Sokka all had each other. They lived together, they grew up together…they made a very close-knit trio. When they were apart from each other, the airbender found it easier to be around them. Then, they didn't seem like the adults the social structure of the Southern Water Tribe deemed them to be.

Whenever Sokka was by himself, he was funny and like the older brother Aang had always wanted. He passed on his knowledge of girls to Aang (not that he seemed to know very much) and he spent time with him, teaching him to fish and fight.

Zuko terrified Aang no matter how hard the grey eyed boy tried to fight it. He was a fierce and angry-looking person, and the scar that marked his left eye was harsh. And he was a firebender! His countrymen were well-known to be fierce and cold and cruel. Aang still could not understand how Katara had taken such a shine to him, even after five years. He did not understand how the waterbender could be such good of friends with her natural born enemy. They were nearly inseparable.

Aang didn't see what Katara saw, he didn't know what she knew. To him, Zuko was intimidating and frightening and the reason Aang had never worked up the courage to formally approach Hakoda and ask his permission to court his daughter; the pair's strong bond was disheartening.

"_Zuko is my best friend,"_ Katara would often say. _"There isn't anything I wouldn't do for him."_

But Aang refused to take his chances. He pursued Katara's affections eagerly but not so much as to send Zuko or Sokka into one of their overprotective rages as they were often wont to do when they felt one of the tribe's males was getting too close to her. Aang liked Katara, sometimes he thought his feelings bordered on love, but he never told her. He had no interest in scaring her away and he had yet to turn sixteen, the age that he, like all others of the male gender in the tribe, would become an adult.

He had been there the day Hakoda gifted her Kaya's wedding dress. Tears had formed in the chief's blue eyes as he had handed her the yards of silk trimmed in fur. That was the day Katara turned fifteen, officially an adult and of marriageable age; the day that the airbender started seeing his childhood friend in a new light.

Aang hadn't been able to let go of her since.

Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to spend the rest of his life with the waterbender, to wake up next to her in the morning and to fall asleep by her side at night, to be the one person she loved above all others…

It was so hard to be around her, though. She made him nervous; he stumbled over his words, he became uncharacteristically klutzy, he said things he never meant to say.

He looked on as Katara demonstrated a simple, beginner move for the three young benders that made up the class she and Pakku taught. Her hair shimmered under the influence of the sun's rays and a small smile graced her pretty face. Aang was very much aware that Katara could be deadly if she wanted to be, but he always forgot that when she was bending. It suited Katara that she was a waterbender, it was a form of bending that was so beautiful it enhanced her delicate features all the more.

Aang sighed, letting a dopey smile cross his face.

_Soon,_ he told himself.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Zuko heard the lovesick sigh that emitted from Aang's mouth as he and Sokka approached the airbender and scowled deeply. Aang was entirely too obsessed with Katara, he always had been and he probably always would be. It disturbed Zuko just a little bit. The bald boy had even gone through a phase where he constantly threw dirty looks at anybody who went near Katara. Most of those looks had been directed at Zuko himself.

The firebender wasn't comfortable around Aang. He didn't like the way the younger boy looked at Katara as though she was some sort of prize to be won. It was common knowledge around the village that Aang planned to ask the waterbender to marry him the second he was old enough; that day was coming soon as spring was fast approaching now that the peak of winter, Katara's birthday, had passed. Summer would soon follow; then fall, and Aang's sixteenth birthday, would come.

Scowl deepening, Zuko felt anger and jealousy coursing through his veins and he fought the urge to throw a fireball at the unsuspecting air nomad. Instead, he let out his frustration with a huff of steam that caused Sokka to give him an odd look.

"What's wrong with _you_, jerkbender?"

"Nothing," Zuko ground out, his hands balling into fists as he watched Aang bound off the rock he had been perched on and over to where Katara stood, redoing her braid as she dismissed her pupils. He willed the negative feelings away. He didn't like Katara. There was _no possible way_ he liked Katara.

"I'm sorry, Aang," Katara was saying as she approached the spot where Zuko and Sokka stood, shaking her head and looking as though she was trying to let her friend down easy, "I can't. Zuko and I have plans."

Zuko bit back a smile and ignored his suddenly leaping heart.

_We __**do**__ have plans…_

Aang looked crestfallen. "Oh. What are you guys doing?"

"Dad's taking the three of us on a trip to Kyoshi Island," Sokka interjected and Katara shot him a grateful look. "He has a meeting with King Bumi and he's taking us with him."

"Zuko and I offered to help Gran-gran and Pakku out at their house before we left," Katara added. "And then we've got some other things to do."

"I'll see you when you get back, right?" Aang asked, looking hopeful.

"Of course you will, Aang."

"And you'll write, won't you?"

"Sure."

"Every day?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow and watched as Katara stepped away from the airbender, a sour look on her face. Sokka snorted.

"I don't see why I need to write you _every day_, Aang. You're old enough to take care of yourself."

A wave of pride and happiness washed over Zuko and he did his best to hide the triumphant smile that threatened to emerge.

"Well then, when are you going to be back?"

_The kid is persistent, I'll give him that,_ Zuko amended.

"I don't know!" Katara exclaimed, sounding exasperated. "I'll be back when I get back!"

Aang looked uncomfortable and ashamed; his shoulders drooped as he dug the toe of one of his boots into the snowy ground. "Sorry, Katara."

The girl's face softened. "It's okay. I'll see you later, Aang."

"Yeah… I'll…see you later, guys." The gray-eyed airbender waved dejectedly at the trio, eyes landing briefly but suspiciously on Zuko.

The prince stared steadily back, refusing to back down when he had done nothing for the other boy to be so skeptical of. It wasn't as if Zuko had made Katara become fed up with Aang's persistency. He watched as the younger boy spun sharply on his heel and walked away, feet crunching in the snow.

Sokka threw his arms over Zuko's and Katara's shoulders, a wide grin on his tanned face.

"C'mon, guys! Let's get going! You get to meet Suki when we get to Kyoshi Island!"

Zuko shot a dubious look at Sokka, a look that was mirrored in Katara's own face.

"What?" Sokka demanded. "Suki's real! _Real!_"

"We didn't say anything, Sokka," Katara sighed.

"You didn't have to! I _saw_ it in your eyes! _Suki __**is**__ real!_ You'll see!"

* * *

Hakoda watched as the crew members set about preparing the ship to set sail. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his son pestering Katara and Zuko with a steadfast persistence. The Fire Nation teen was standing in an obscure manner. His back was ramrod straight and his arms were crossed. Every time Katara moved, he would inconspicuously shift away from her. Hakoda frowned.

_Strange kid_, he thought.

It wasn't that the chief didn't like the pale-skinned boy - he saw the bond between the firebender and Katara and approved - it was just that he felt Aang was a better match for his daughter. The airbending boy was young and enthusiastic, a much better match for his daughter than the stiff and formal Fire Nation boy. Hakoda often found himself wondering why Katara seemed to prefer spending her time with Zuko than with any of the other males her age. It didn't make sense to the leader of the Southern Water Tribe. Then again, even though Katara was his daughter, he hardly ever understood her decisions (the reason he liked to make them _for_ her). Sokka was someone the troubled chief could understand. Whatever the reason, Hakoda found it easier to understand his son than his daughter.

"Sir?"

Hakoda looked at the page boy standing before him. "Yes, Korah?"

The blue-eyed messenger held out a scroll. "A message from King Bumi, sir."

Nodding, Hakoda took the scroll and dismissed the young boy. Along the edge of the scroll, binding it together, was a wax seal with the symbol of the Order of the White Lotus. Letting a frown settle over his face, Hakoda opened the scroll to reveal the message within.

_Informant brought news: Ozai planning attack. Emergency meeting of the Order. Set course due west. Two days._

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Katara watched her father's calm face contort into one of anger as he tucked the scroll into the inside pocket of his navy blue parka. She suddenly felt very cold and terrified. What was in that letter? Nothing ever bothered her dad; he was an incredibly laid back person. Generally, he was happy, sometimes he was grumpy, but never angry. Anger simply wasn't part of the chieftain's demeanor. Next to her, Sokka stopped chattering about Suki and her Kyoshi Warrior friends to follow her confused gaze. Zuko seemed to turn into a statue.

"Change of course!" Hakoda called out and the chill settled deeper into Katara's bones. She instinctively moved closer to Zuko for warmth, but the cold stayed firmly cemented in her body.

"Dad?" Sokka questioned as the chief passed.

"Change in plans, kids," he returned, hardly sparing the trio a glance. "I'm sorry, but Kyoshi Island is out of the question right now."

Katara frowned. How could Kyoshi Island be out of the question? King Bumi was expecting them…wasn't he?

"Set course due north!" her father bellowed. A flurry of movement swept over the ship as crewmen hurried to do their leader's bidding. "Katara," he said gruffly as he turned to her, his face a mask of determination, "I need your help. You need to bend the water to help speed up the ship. We have two days to reach our destination."

She nodded numbly. Two days to reach an unknown destination? A sudden change in plans? What had happened to King Bumi? Unanswered questions tore through her mind.

"Sokka."

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Help Captain Lei plot his course. Tell him our destination is the Northern Base Camp."

"Yes, sir."

Sokka dashed away, disappearing faster than Katara could blink, eager to help in any way he could.

"Zuko."

The firebender seemed to snap out of his statue-like stance and quiet reverie as Hakoda addressed him. "Yes, sir?"

Despite her concern for the situation, Katara almost smiled at Zuko's politeness. He had always been the perfect gentleman, the most well-mannered person in the South Pole.

"Now is not the time for formalities, son."

Katara raised an eyebrow. _Son?_

A flat, painted disc flipped through the air from Hakoda's hand and Zuko caught it deftly in pale hands callused from firebending. Each side was painted in varying shades of brown with a white lotus flower in the center.

"A _Pai Sho tile_?" Katara's incredulity was echoed in her best friend's voice.

Hakoda nodded. "There's a messenger hawk on the ship," he said, "find it and send that tile to Iroh."

_Iroh?!_ Katara's other eyebrow rose to meet the first on her forehead. _**General**__ Iroh? Zuko's __**uncle**__? What does he have to do with this?_

"You want me to send this to my uncle?"

"Yes."

Zuko looked astonished; Katara couldn't blame him.

"I haven't talked to my uncle in _ages_."

"And with good reason," Sokka's and Katara's father said firmly. "Send that tile to him with the message, 'The White Lotus opens wide to those who know its secrets.' Do not sign the missive. He will know what it means and who has sent it."

Zuko bowed and ambled off looking confused and pensive, the Pai Sho tile clutched in one of his hands. Katara watched him go as the ship slowly slipped out of the harbor, feeling as though her heart had gone with the Fire Prince even though he wasn't going far. She turned to look out over the water, wishing that she had had more of a chance to say goodbye to Gran-gran and Pakku. She had a feeling that this adventure was going to change everything.

* * *

Zuko had no idea where they were. Maybe they were somewhere in the waters between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, he didn't really know. The day had slipped away into oblivion, seemingly pushed into the past by the movements of Katara's body as she bent the water around the ship. What would have been a two day trip had passed in a matter of hours thanks to Katara's waterbending. He stood next to her in the bow of the ship, regulating his inner flame so he radiated heat. He tried to tell himself if was a friendly gesture, a bit of warmth so she wouldn't get cold because she had long since discarded her parka in favor of more freedom to move; he had no desire to admit the truth to himself. The truth wasn't necessary right now.

_Has it really been two weeks since her party?_

"I don't get what this is all about," Katara whispered fiercely, her voice low so the crew didn't hear her.

"My uncle mentioned something once about the White Lotus," Zuko replied, equally quiet. "I think it's an organization or a secret society of sorts."

"I've never heard of it before."

"I don't think we're supposed to know about it."

She looked up at him with silvery eyes, breaking her stance to take a break and rest her limbs. Zuko forced himself to swallow around the lump that formed in his throat as he took in her features under the faint glow of the moon. The dim light threw her face into a brilliant contrast of shadows and light and her brunette locks held a slight shimmer as they whisked across her shoulders and face in the breeze.

"Why do you think my dad got us involved?"

Zuko shrugged and tore his eyes away from her gaze in an effort to avoid a repeat of their walk two weeks prior where he had been rendered stupid and slightly speechless. He leaned his forearms on the railing of the ship. "Either convenience or for some reason that's completely beyond me," he said, trying his best to concentrate on the dark waters beneath them and not her presence.

The waterbender leaned against the rail, looking up into his face. "Are you alright, Zuko?"

He stiffened. "Yes. Why?"

Katara shrugged. "You seem tense."

Zuko rifled through his mind, searching for an excuse. It wasn't like he could tell her what he was thinking he was starting to feel for her! "I'm not exactly at home on the water," he blurted out, pairing the sentence with what he hoped was a wry smile. "Firebender, remember?"

She laughed, a brilliant smile lighting up her face and eyes. "Sorry. It's easy to forget about that when I'm with you."

Zuko smiled back but offered no response.

_It's easy to forget everything when I'm around you, Katara… Everything's changing now. And if it hasn't, this little adventure your dad's decided to take us on is going to._

* * *

**Next Chapter's Lyrics**

Do you ever think/When you're all alone/All that we can be/Where this thing can go?/Am I crazy or falling in love?/Is it really just another crush?/Do you catch a breath/When I look at you?/Are you holding back/Like the way I do?/'Cause I try and try to walk away/But I know this crush ain't going away - "Crush" by David Archuleta

* * *

**Q and A Session**

**Q: **What about the war!?  
**A: **Well, hopefully this chapter answered that question a bit, haha. I can't reveal too much right now (mostly because this chapter ended up taking on a life of its own and I had almost no control over what happened so I don't know what's going to happen next), but I hope that question was resolved a tiny bit.

**Q: **Any action?  
**A: **I'm not the greatest at action scenes, but I might try my hand at one or two for this story.

**Q: **Are you sticking with the show or doing your own thing?  
**A: **Eh…kinda both. You'll see how it works out.

* * *

**A side-note:**

I'm working on the Aang-hating thing. Believe me, I am. I want to like him, but I just can't. I know it shows and I'm trying to not let it. If you feel like I'm getting out of hand, let me know and I'll try to fix it. We can't all be perfect, right? Sometimes an author's gotta have a weakness. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone with my blatant Aang-hating.

* * *

Oh no! Why is Hakoda heading North instead of West? What on earth is Ozai up to? Are the kids going to find out what the Order of the White Lotus is? And is Zuko ever going to _completely_ admit to himself that he likes Katara? Review and you'll find out!


	4. Chapter III

_When her father-in-law is slaughtered in his sleep, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation escapes the tyranny of the palace with her 13-year-old son Zuko, the victim of a burn to his left eye at the hands of his father, and her brother-in-law, the retired General Iroh. They plan to take refuge in the Southern Water Tribe with the aid of Chief Hakoda. However, when an illness takes Ursa's life and Iroh is called back to the Fire Nation, Zuko is left to grow up under the watchful eye of Chief Hakoda._

_Years pass and Zuko finds that he has unintentionally caught the eye of the chief's daughter, Katara, a beautiful and sassy waterbender reluctantly being pursued by a childhood friend. Suddenly caught up in an unorthodox romance, Zuko finds that maybe love isn't so bad…if not a little messy._

**Ships: **Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka, possible Taang

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure

* * *

**A/N: Oh, jeez. You guys have no idea how sorry I am that you've had to wait so long. My computer's had a virus for months now and because my dad's been in and out of town the entire time, I just now was able to get him to fix it. Sadly, once it was up and running again, I found out that I'd lost most of what I'd written for this story and a whole bunch of my other projects. I'm having to start from scratch, and remembering what all I had isn't easy. I hope you'll hang in there while I catch up, and thanks for all the positive reviews I've gotten while I've been away.**

* * *

Matters of the Heart

By RupertLover09

* * *

"_Sorry. It's easy to forget about that when I'm with you."_

_Zuko smiled back but offered no response._

It's easy to forget everything when I'm around you, Katara… Everything's changing now. And if it hasn't, this little adventure your dad's decided to take us on is going to.

* * *

Chapter III

_Do you ever think/When you're all alone/All that we can be/Where this thing can go?/Am I crazy or falling in love?/Is it really just another crush?/Do you catch a breath/When I look at you?/Are you holding back/Like the way I do?/'Cause I try and try to walk away/But I know this crush ain't going away - "Crush" by David Archuleta_

* * *

Zuko stared up into the sky as the ship slipped into a narrow passageway. Clouds scuttled across the vibrant blue expanse and somewhere below he heard the chatter of koala otters. A tall, icy wall loomed ahead of them and Zuko looked to Chief Hakoda for an explanation. A wall as smooth and flawless as this one was clearly no creation of Mother Nature.

The other man tilted his chin toward the wall in a way that Zuko read as, "Don't question just yet. Just watch."

A loud cry rose up from the bow of the ship and Zuko turned to see Katara's face breaking into a wide smile.

"Waterbenders!"

Sure enough, there were blue-shrouded figures lining the top of the massive wall, breaking into stances that gave away their training. Zuko watched in awe as the dozen or so people bent their bodies so that the ice slid into the water and the ship could sail over it without a single problem.

As the benders let the wall back up, the firebender stared around as the sides of the corridor sloped gently toward the water and slowly and seamlessly disappeared beneath the surface. He found himself in the middle of a man-made lake on the fringes of what seemed to be a recently established society. Igloos scattered the snowy ground, small fires blazed in random spots, rough paths were carved into the ground, and Katara was babbling in his ear excitedly.

"I had a feeling there were benders here! I could tell. The water felt different here, like it had known the touch of a waterbender before. Don't ask me how I know, I just-"

"That is a very astute observation, Princess Katara," a gravelly but warm voice called, interrupting Katara's one-sided conversation, "but here at the White Lotus, we do not house only waterbenders, but all people; benders and nonbenders alike."

Zuko looked up, not daring to believe his ears, but shocked when he found himself to be correct. Before him stood Uncle Iroh, aged a few years, but trimmer and more healthy than the forgotten prince had ever seen his uncle. He was wearing robes of a deep oceanic color with a high, white collar that was pattered with a large, white lotus flower, and his white hair was pulled back in the typical Fire Nation-style topknot.

Katara elbowed Zuko sharply in his side and he took a step forward, ignoring the slight pain he felt where her elbow collided with his rib. Uncle Iroh's aging, golden eyes locked onto him almost immediately.

"U-uncle," Zuko choked out. So this was what it was like to finally see one of your most beloved family members after five years of no communication. The raven-haired boy felt strangely…unenthused. Uncle had left him, had not spoken to him, had made no attempts at contacting him in any way. Instead of the joy Zuko knew he probably should have been feeling at seeing his father-figure after such a long separation, he just felt slightly betrayed.

Uncle Iroh nodded. "Nephew. I am glad to see you are well."

Zuko scowled. That was all?

"Come," Uncle Iroh motioned for the group (which now included Sokka, whom Zuko had not noticed arrive) to follow him. "We have much to discuss over some lovely white dragon tea."

* * *

Apparently, 'we' did not include Katara, Zuko, or Sokka. Katara felt left out of the action. She wanted to know what the Order of the White Lotus was, she wanted to know why her father had brought her here, and she wanted some of that white dragon tea. More than anything, though, she wanted Zuko to stop pouting. Wasn't it enough that Sokka had started to pout first? Now Zuko had to do it too? Was she the only one who was optimistic?

"This is ridiculous," Sokka muttered. "I should be in there. I'm a _warrior_ of _dad's tribe_. I'm his _son_."

"You?" Zuko said, sounding incredulous. "What about me? That's my uncle. I'm a _prince_. I have more right to be in there than you do!"

"Well, ex-cuuuuuse _me_, your highness," Sokka retorted. "Why doesn't everyone just drop what they're doing and accommodate you? That would make all the sense in the world seeing as how your nation doesn't even acknowledge that you exist!"

Katara heard the growl rumble deep in Zuko's throat and threw herself between her friend and her older brother before she could even think about what she was doing. "Both of you just need to _calm down_!" she yelled, placing a hand on each of their chests and struggling to push them both away.

Sokka huffed and stepped away to lean against the igloo, removing his boomerang from its holster on his back and polishing it on the hem of his parka. Katara could hear him mumbling quickly but paid him no mind, knowing he would cool off if he could vent to himself for a while. Instead, she turned to Zuko, ignoring the way she could feel the muscles in his stomach through his thin, crimson shirt.

"Zuko-"

"It's fine."

"Sokka was out of line, I'm-"

"I said it's fine, Katara!" Zuko barked and Katara withdrew her hand. She frowned deeply at the firebender, anger bubbling up in her veins. Now he was going to snap at her, was he? The fact that Sokka was pigheaded was not her fault. Zuko had no right to misdirect his anger and aim it at her.

"Fine," the waterbender snapped. "You want to take your anger out on me? Let's go, then!" She yanked her parka off, feeling her hair dislodge itself from the braid she had put it in and fall disheveled around her face. The arctic air felt wonderful through the thin fabric of her dress. She sank into a bending position, her face fierce.

Zuko stared at her, seemingly dumbstruck. "What?"

"Fight me!"

"What? I… Huh?"

"You heard me!"

"I'm not going to… There is no way I'm fighting you, Katara."

"Why?" Katara abandoned her stance in favor of placing her hands on her hips. "Afraid you'll lose?"

* * *

Hakoda stared at the map before him. There were topographical errors and tea stains, but he knew enough to get the gist of what Iroh had explained to him. Focusing on a miniature fleet of Fire Nation ships, he followed the path they would take and calculated the amount of time it would take for the Fire Nation soldiers to reach their first destination; the odds were not in the Order's favor.

"The _entire_ Southern Air Temple?" he queried.

"And the other three," Iroh replied, age seeping into his voice. He took a long draught of his tea and refilled the china cup before continuing. "The White Lotus has managed to put a stop to this kind of genocide for two generations, and now we must try again."

"Three generations," Hakoda murmured.

"And we fear a fourth," Iroh said, his eyes downcast.

The chief looked at his friend skeptically. "You can't mean Zuko, Iroh. That kid wouldn't-"

"No, no. Not my nephew," the firebending master said hurriedly. "The only person our fellow members suspect less than him is myself," he chuckled quietly. "No, I am talking of his sister Azula."

"His younger sister? The little girl that liked to behead her dolls?"

Iroh winced. "I am afraid she is much worse now. Azula is truly her father's daughter while her brother is his mother's son. She has two friends, Mai and Ty Lee; they serve to do her dirty work. Azula only likes to dirty her hands if the situation is personal in some way."

"Pros?"

"Very nearly. We suspect them in the death of one of our most prominent politicians, a man who spoke out against Ozai every chance he got. We have no proof, however, and that is our problem. There is never sufficient evidence."

"She must be hoping her father will share the glory and power with her," Hakoda mused, thankful that his own daughter was not a terrifying monster of sorts.

"That is her belief exactly."

Hakoda grunted. What he had intended as a sort of vacation for the kids was turning into the start of a war and he had no idea what he was going to do. He would want to send them home, but having them in such a direct path of destruction was disturbing. His blue eyes meandered over the map, as an idea slowly formulated in his mind.

"We're going to need a plan, Iroh."

"I trust you have one?"

"I think I might…"

* * *

Before Zuko could even think about his odds of beating Katara in an impromptu duel, the flap that closed off the entrance of the large igloo was pushed to the side, and Hakoda and Iroh stepped out. Sokka stopped talking to himself and slipped his boomerang back into its holster, looking expectant.

"Kids," Hakoda said, "come on in, there's something we want to discuss with you. And Katara-"

"Yeah Dad?"

"Put your parka back on."

Zuko noticed Katara scowl as her father and Iroh turned to head back into the icy building, Sokka hot on their heels. The prince waited until Katara had pulled her parka back on then gestured for her to enter the igloo first. She did so with a soft smile that made his heart stutter irrationally. For a brief second, he wondered if _she_ ever wondered about their relationship then pushed the thoughts aside, focusing instead on the meeting that was now taking place.

There was a low table made of wood in the center of the small, circular space. Rugs and cushions covered the floor, and light entered the room through randomly placed translucent bricks of ice. On the table, there was a mahogany and glass box that contained a collection of ships and soldiers in miniature and there was a large, rolled-up scroll as well. Immediately, Zuko knew the purpose of this sudden visit.

"Ozai's set his plan into action, hasn't he?"

"What plan?" Sokka asked at the same time as Katara caught sight of the box and let out a startled cry of, "Those a miniature Fire Nation ships!"

Uncle Iroh gestured for them to sit down. "The Order of the White Lotus is a secret society dedicated to maintaining peace within the four nations of our world," he began. "Many, many years ago, Fire Lord Sozin attempted to conquer the world, convinced that he would be able to expand his empire and share his resources with the other three nations. Avatar Roku thwarted Sozin's attempt, and Sozin died without ever achieving his goal of total world domination.

"After Sozin's death, however, his son Azulon inherited the throne."

Zuko winced at the memory of his grandfather. Fire Lord Azulon had been a cruel man and Azula had always been his favorite. Not unused to rejection, Zuko had taken the old man's dislike of him in stride, but had never felt any sort of personal connection to his grandfather.

"Azulon," Uncle Iroh continued, "tried to pick up where his father left off, but with more evil intentions. Azulon wanted absolute power. He wanted to rule the world and have only the people he felt were of the finest Fire Nation descent to be his aides. He would have succeeded, had it not been for one very courageous member of our group, who acted with swiftness and courage: Princess Ursa, may the spirits rest her soul."

Suddenly, Zuko felt so very far away and removed from the entire scene. He hardly registered the stricken look on Katara's face and the way Sokka was gaping at him with his mouth hanging open. He wasn't Zuko anymore. Instead, he was floating up and out of his body and hovering over the scene to watch. His mom. His own mother had been the one to murder his grandfather, her father-in-law. Then, she had lied openly to him and said she had no idea who had killed Azulon or why anyone would want to.

Mother had _lied_ to him.

"Nephew," Uncle Iroh said, but Zuko hardly heard him, "do not think that what happened was your mother's fault. Had it not been for your cousin Lu Ten's death, the Order would have had me deal with your grandfather myself."

Zuko's mind was reeling, the room was spinning, he vaguely felt Katara's hand linking with his under the table, but he could not talk, could not move…all he was able to do was blink stupidly at his uncle.

"Your mother was chosen…closest to Azulon…not her choice…"

He could feel himself standing up and knew in the back of his mind that his feet were leading him out the door, but he had no comprehension of what he was doing. He heard Katara's voice echoing in his brain, calling after him, he heard Chief Hakoda say something to her, but he continued on. His world was fuzzy at the edges, silent as he wandered out into the open air. The sun was setting, but he paid no attention to the way the colors splashed across the sky and tinted the clouds so they looked like the cones of colorful, spun sugar he had once seen at an Earth Kingdom fair when he was young.

Clenching his hands into fists, the young firebender sank to his knees in the snowy banks of the lake. The image he had held of his mother all these years was shattered. How could she have taken a life and survived with it on her conscious? How could she have lied straight to his face? Millions of questions along the lines of these poured through his mind; he held no answers.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Zuko was still kneeling there when he felt rather than saw Katara approach him. She knelt beside him, tucking her dress beneath her like the princess that she was.

"Your uncle wants to talk to you," she told him quietly.

Zuko scowled. "I don't want to talk to him."

"He wants to explain things to you, Zuko."

"What is there to explain, Katara?" he asked angrily, turning his face to meet her eyes. She was looking at him sadly, the corners of her lips turned down into a frown, her forehead was wrinkled. The urge to smooth the wrinkle between her eyebrows surged through his body like lightning, but he kept his hands to himself.

"I think you would feel better if you talked to him, Zuko, I really do. He explained what happened to Sokka and me, and, well, Ursa wasn't _my_ mom or anything-"

_Thank the sages for that_, Zuko thought.

"-but I think you would understand that she did what she had to do. Zuko, she did something noble that night. Something that saved a lot of lives. She helped people she never even met, and she saved a life that's important to me personally. And I know for a fact that that life was important to her, too."

Zuko sighed. Katara never made things easy. She always made sense and always found a way to tug at your heartstrings. He had no idea how she did it. "Did Uncle tell you what Azula told me? That my father meant to kill me?"

"Yes," she said, her voice sounding strangled.

He flicked a chunk of ice into the water, watching the ripples it made as it broke the glassy surface. "I used to think a lot about how he would have done it. He would have done it himself, probably," he mused, his voice emotionless. "Dad likes to kill people in person unless it's not a personal issue he has with them. If it's not personal, he lets someone else do his dirty work.

"He probably would have challenged me to an Agni Kai, too, like the one where I got this," he pointed to the scar that blanketed his left eye. Katara let out an odd sound that sounded like a sob, but he paid no attention to it. "He's a master firebender, and he's not all that great with swords; I'm the opposite. He would've definitely chosen the Agni Kai. It's traditionally fought until the weaker opponent dies. He would've played to his strengths, made sure the job was done efficiently-"

"Zuko, quit talking like that!" Katara exclaimed suddenly, standing up and stamping her foot with fury. "Quit being so damn angry and pessimistic but acting like nothing's wrong! I _hate it_ when you do that! You're alive, damn it! You're _alive_!"

Zuko looked up at her, noticed the broken look in her teary eyes, and immediately felt sorry. She was sobbing, one hand wrapped around her stomach, the other pressed to her mouth. He lurched to his feet, reaching out for her. "Agni be damned," he muttered. "Come on, 'Tara. Don't cry." He was only slightly startled when she let him hold her, burying her face in his neck. He could feel salty tears dripping down his neck and into his shirt. She clenched the front of his cloak in her fists with surprising strength. "K'tara…"

"Sh-shut up, Zuko. I'll stop… I'll stop crying when you s-stop talking like-like that. Whenever…whenever you get like that, I'm always afraid that it's what you really wanted. That you _wanted _Ozai to kill you."

"Nobody wants to die, Katara."

The pair was silent for a few minutes, save for a few sniffles from Katara as her tears dried up. Zuko tugged her hair out of its braid and wound his hand through it, cradling her head to his shoulder. Her hair slipped through his fingers like the element she commanded, and he marveled at it. Everything about Katara was fluid; she even _smelled_ like the ocean. He wondered how he had never noticed before.

"Your mom was a good person, Zuko."

"If she was such a good person, the how come she killed my grandfather?"

Katara pulled away ever so slightly and he found himself staring down into her upturned face. "Your uncle never told you?"

"Never told me what?"

"That she did it so you could live."

Zuko froze. "What?"

The waterbender's blue eyes widened and she stepped away rather abruptly. "Oh."

"Oh?"

At that moment, Hakoda emerged from the igloo, looking slightly suspicious, a look that only increased in intensity when he saw the proximity of the two friends and Katara's slightly mussed hair. Candlelight poured from the doorway of the little building.

"Everything okay out here?"

"Yeah, Dad," Katara replied, looking uncomfortable. "Everything's fine."

"You okay to come back inside, son?"

Zuko nodded, a bit dazed from Katara's information.

Hakoda smiled grimly. "Then follow me. Iroh and I have a mission for the three of you. You'll need to know everything we have to say."

* * *

Sokka looked up as his sister, father, and best friend reentered the igloo. He did not like he way Katara and Zuko looked as though they were hiding something. Katara's hair was sticking up at funny angles, too. The warrior glared darkly at Zuko, who returned his look with one of bewilderment.

Hakoda cleared his throat and unrolled the map. It slid across the wooden table smoothly, curling only at the very ends. Sokka stared at the map, memorizing the details. There was the Si Wong Desert, there was Ember Island…

"In an effort to keep the three of you out of danger, Iroh and I have come up with a mission for you. Your safety is the most important thing at this time and we feel that having you in a place no one would expect is the best course of action."

"Kyoshi Island?" Sokka asked hopefully. If they went to Kyoshi Island, he could see Suki again!

"No," Hakoda said. "You'll be in-"

"Here?"

"No, Sokka. Let me finish."

Sokka slumped back in his seat, pouting. Nobody ever let him finish anything…

"As I was saying," Hakoda continued, "you will be stationed in the Fire Nation capitol. More specifically in the palace."

"How in the name of Agni is that even _remotely_ safe?" Zuko demanded.

Sokka nodded in agreement. It seemed to him that placing three teens - one of them the Fire Lord's own banished son and the other two members of the Southern Water Tribe - right under Ozai's nose was not exactly the smartest thing on the planet. And Sokka had done some stupid things in his lifetime. Had he not been the one to barrel down the hill on his back with a penguin sitting on his chest? Had he not been the one to almost melt some of the houses of the tribe?

Living with the Fire Lord, however, took the cake.

_Hmmm, cake_, the blue-eyed warrior mused. _Wonder if they've got any here…?_

"Living with Fire Lord Ozai provides you with security," Iroh said, tucking his hands into his sleeves and leveling his nephew with a stare. "Nephew, you will be able to convince your father that you are in support of his ideas, that your friends will help your nation as spies."

"But I _don't_ support what he's doing and I _refuse _to send my friends right into his hands, Uncle," Zuko protested, looking angry. "You should know what kind of person he is! He won't believe it for a minute."

"Well, then you'll have to _make _him believe, Zuko," Hakoda said. "Stationing the three of you in the palace isn't the best idea, but we feel that you can help."

"How so?" Katara asked. Sokka recognized the interested look on his sister's face, agreeing with her question in his mind. What would three teens be able to do?

"You will be able to pass along information to us," Iroh stated simply. "In turn, we will give you false information that you will pass along to Fire Lord Ozai. The information will come mostly from myself, as he will be more likely to believe his brother, a loyal Fire Nation citizen."

"I'll pass you two information, as well," Hakoda said to Sokka and Katara. "It will be the job of the three of you to convince Ozai that what you're telling him is real. You'll be very important to the Order for a while.

"Now," the water chief directed his attention to the roughly drawn map and Sokka followed his father's finger with his eyes. "You'll be here at headquarters for the remainder of the week," he pointed to a large, red circle that was drawn at the northern end of the parchment. "There are a few things we want you all to learn. Sokka, you'll train with Master Piandao for a few days; he'll refine your swordsmanship. Katara, you will learn advanced healing techniques from Yugoda."

Sokka almost laughed at the face Katara made. As much as his sister loved her waterbending abilities, she hated the fact that she was forced to learn healing along with it. Had it not been for the archaic ways of the tribe, he was sure that Katara would have been training to use water in battle instead of learning how to fight in secret with Gram-Pakku for years. Katara was a born fighter and she hated being oppressed because of her status as a princess.

"Nephew, you will train with me," Iroh said and Zuko scowled the tiniest bit. Sokka wondered who had pissed in the prince's sea prunes. "There is one more technique you must learn. I hear you are very nearly a master now."

There was a tense and awkward silence in which Zuko glared sourly at the wall over his uncle's shoulder. Sokka wished very dearly to break the silence, but found himself uncharacteristically without a joke.

"Right," Hakoda said, clearing his throat. "So. At the end of the week, the three of you will travel by boat to the Earth Kingdom where you will meet up with master earthbender Toph Bei Fong."

Sokka snorted. "_Toph_?" He said, chuckling. "Isn't that a _girl's_ name?"

"What?" Katara said acidly. "A girl can't be a master?"

The warrior blanched. Oh, he was in some deep trouble now.

"_I'm_ a girl, Sokka. Does that mean _I_ can't be a master waterbender? Am I not _allowed_ to because of my _gender_?"

"That's not what I meant, Katara! It's just that…well, I mean… Dad?" Sokka looked to his father hopefully, but the older male just shook his head. General Iroh snickered. "Zuko?"

"Don't look at me, Sokka. I'm with your sister on this one. Just because a girl is a girl, doesn't mean she's not as good as a guy."

Sokka did not miss the impressed look Katara shot the firebender. The two of them were kind of sick in that non-couple-y, but more-than-friends-y way.

"Can I continue, Sokka?" Hakoda asked.

Sokka grumbled a response. _Everyone's against the funny guy_, he thought sourly.

"After meeting up with Miss Toph," his father continued, "you will travel to the Fire Nation where General Iron will arrange a meeting with Ozai. If all goes well, the four of you will be right where we need you to be."

"What about Aang, Dad?" Katara asked suddenly.

"What about him, Katara?" Hakoda set about rolling up the map, not making eye contact with anyone in the igloo.

"Well, if he hears about this, he's going to want to help us."

"Don't worry about Aang, Katara," Hakoda said, patting her on the top of her head distractedly; Katara made a strange face. "There's a good possibility Aang will be involved soon."

"What?" Sokka asked at the same time Katara and Zuko did.

"Never mind. Who's hungry?"

Sokka's stomach growled very noisily at that moment and he realized how very hungry he was. He raised his hand and said loudly, "I am!"

Katara looked at him. "When _aren't_ you?" she deadpanned.

* * *

There was a biting chill to the night air up in the North. Zuko raised the hood of his cloak up over his head and turned his back on the wind. He could see Katara's silhouette as she moved through the motions of waterbending. He glanced up toward the starry sky at the moon; it was full tonight, illuminating the darkness with its gentle glow.

The prince pondered over the events of the day. He supposed Katara was correct. He would have to talk to his uncle eventually. But what did you say to the person who abandoned you?

A nagging voice in the back of his head whispered that his uncle had not, in fact, abandoned him, but had been looking out for his safety. Zuko shrugged the voice off and ambled over to Katara's location. She smiled as he approached, but didn't say anything to him, too intent in her practice. So he stood back and watched as she bent sparkling water and ice through the air like delicate ribbons and lethal knives. Ice melted and formed in midair at her command like liquid diamonds. The necklace around the waterbender's neck shimmered dully in the moonlight, her silvery eyes stayed narrow in concentration. She was preparing, he knew, for whatever was ahead of them, and he probably should have been doing the same.

For now he was content to watch and admire her without having to give a reason to a third party.

For now he was content to be in her presence.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, yeah I know Zuko's not some sap who creeps on girls on a regular basis (and by "creeps" I mean "sits by and watches them like a weirdo"), but I like the thought of him just liking to be near Katara. If you've ever seen or read **_**Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist**_**, then you know what Thom says about the beauty of just being near someone, just wanting to hold their hand. I like that concept, and I feel that, at this point in my story, that's enough for these two.**

**I know it's been a while, and I know you're probably frustrated, but it would be really, really cool if everybody reviewed… :)**


	5. Chapter IV

_When her father-in-law is slaughtered in his sleep, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation escapes the tyranny of the palace with her 13-year-old son Zuko, the victim of a burn to his left eye at the hands of his father, and her brother-in-law, the retired General Iroh. They plan to take refuge in the Southern Water Tribe with the aid of Chief Hakoda. However, when an illness takes Ursa's life and Iroh is called back to the Fire Nation, Zuko is left to grow up under the watchful eye of Chief Hakoda._

_Years pass and Zuko finds that he has unintentionally caught the eye of the chief's daughter, Katara, a beautiful and sassy waterbender reluctantly being pursued by a childhood friend. Suddenly caught up in an unorthodox romance, Zuko finds that maybe love isn't so bad…if not a little messy._

* * *

**Ships: **Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka, possible Taang

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure

* * *

**A/N: Woooooo! I am on a ROLL!!! Now that I'm able to write again, I'm getting all these ideas for the story and it's like I can't stop writing! You'll be seeing updates galore for a while (I hope…) and I'm getting around to writing more for **_**Shaping Destiny**_** as well. For now, let's check back in with our heroes at the Order of the White Lotus's Northern Base Camp…**

* * *

Matters of the Heart

By RupertLover09

* * *

Chapter IV

"_It don't do me any good/It's just a waste of time/What use is it to you/What's on my mind?/If it ain't coming out/We're not going anywhere/So why can't I just tell you that I care?" - "Things I'll Never Say" by Avril Lavigne_

* * *

The room was uncomfortably loud; Katara could hear the raucousness as she lingered outside the simple ice building. Zuko gave her a supporting smile, but she answered back with a shake of her head. She knew how to heal, she was actually frustratingly good at it. In fact, she had been the one to patch up Zuko and Sokka whenever they managed to get themselves in trouble (more often than not a sparring practice with each other that got personal in some way. No matter how good of friends the boys were, they still found a reason to fight). And hadn't Pakku turned to her for help when she was little more than a child and Zuko's mother had suddenly fallen ill? No, Katara was sure she most _definitely did not need healing classes_.

"Come on, Katara, you never know. It might not be that bad," Zuko said, sliding an arm around her shoulders. Immediately, she felt too warm. Whether it was his body heat combined with the layers of clothing she was wearing, or just his proximity to her when she was feeling so confused about how she felt about him, Katara did not know. Despite the uncomfortable heat, however, she found she did not want to move away; in fact she snuggled closer to her favorite firebender, longing for more contact in a way she never had before. "Besides," he continued, and she could hear his deep voice rumbling in his chest, "this healer - this Yugoda lady - might be able to teach you things that can help us if Ozai figures out what we're really doing in his palace."

Katara sighed. "Yeah, maybe."

The curtain that served as the door to the squat, square-shaped building was shoved to the side and a gaggle of girls around Katara and Zuko's ages emerged like a small flood. They were all Water Tribe women and they were all varying degrees of beautiful. Upon catching sight of Zuko, one of them immediately began batting her eyelashes flirtatiously at him.

"Hey," she called over, fluttering her fingers in a wave, "I'm Kasumi, what's your name?"

"Hi," Zuko said curtly, not offering up his name, much to Katara's surprise. He turned to her, golden eyes seeming to smolder, a light smile on his face. "Are you ready?" His arm slid off her shoulders, but he linked his hand with hers.

Kasumi looked offended for a few seconds, then glowered darkly at Katara who let Zuko tug her toward the building.

"If I have to be," Katara grumbled.

"Once I'm done training with my uncle, Sokka and I'll come find you, I promise."

The pair stepped into the cool room. It was airy and open but dimly lit. The only places where light streamed in was through the clearer blocks of ice interspersed in the walls. There were cushions laid out on the floor in a semicircle around a table where a dummy sat. An old woman nearly half Katara's height was tottering around the room. She was slightly stooped and her face was almost completely lost to wrinkles; her steel gray hair was pulled back into a severe-looking bun and two thick, braided hair loopies were tucked back into it. Katara fingered her own loops of hair, reconsidering for a moment the way she habitually did her hair every morning.

"Um… Sifu Yugoda?" she called out reluctantly.

The old woman looked around and a grin broke out on her face. "Ah! You must be my new student. Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, yes?"

Katara nodded.

"Good, good. And none of this 'Sifu' business, young lady. I am merely Yugoda." The old woman's eyes caught the necklace at Katara's throat, and her smile grew larger; Katara felt bewildered. "Well, well, well. Who's the lucky fellow?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Your engagement necklace! Is it this fellow here?"

Zuko's eyes widened and he let out a kind of high-pitched squeak. He immediately dropped Katara's hand.

"You know," Yugoda continued, as though she had not noticed Zuko's reaction. "I thought I could sense something between the two of you. Noticed it the moment you walked in all cozy."

She looked so interested and elated, that it almost hurt Katara to burst her bubble. "I'm not engaged," Katara stated, before Yugoda could get much further. "This necklace belonged to my mother before she died; and that's my friend Zuko."

The old waterbender looked positively embarrassed beyond anything Katara had ever witnessed. She recovered rather quickly, though, and turned to Zuko as if she were assessing him. "Are you Grand Master Iroh's nephew?"

"Er…yes."

Yugoda's wrinkled face lit up. "Oh! Well, he is just the sweetest man! Are you going to see him now?"

Zuko nodded, looking uncomfortable.

"Well, say hello to him for me won't you? Now, out you scoot. Miss Katara and I have some healing to practice." Her smile turned mischievous suddenly. "Unless you'd rather be our test subject of course."

The prince paled considerably and denied her teasing request in the seemingly most polite way he could, squeezed Katara's shoulder supportively, then left the building in a hurry. Yugoda chuckled mirthfully.

"It's always fun to see their faces," she told Katara conspiratorially, taking the younger bender's arm and leading her over to the table with the dummy. "Now, why don't you tell me everything you know about healing."

Katara shrugged. "I can heal mostly anything," she replied. "Burns, cuts, bruises… The only thing I _can't_ seem to heal is an illness," she looked down at her hands, remembering the day of Zuko's arrival at the tribe. To this day, the bender still felt as though she had let her friend down. "Can you teach me how, Yugoda?"

The elderly woman sighed sadly and sat down. "I wish I could, Katara. Unfortunately, unless an illness is brought on to the body by outside influences, a waterbender cannot heal it."

"I don't understand."

"A sickness such as a cold or a fever cannot be healed," Yugoda explained. "They are brought on by bacteria and other small matter. Those things cannot be battled with water. If you were to visit a village that had suffered from pollution, for example, the pollutants in the bodies of those affected _could_ be drawn out. They do not belong to the body of the person infected. It takes practice, but it can be done."

Katara sat forward, interested. "Are we starting with that?"

Yugoda smiled fondly at her. "No, no. Right now, we are starting with something much more simplistic. I would like you to show me what exactly it is you can heal."

The younger waterbender bit back a groan of frustration and rolled back her sleeves in preparation. She really needed to stop getting her hopes up…

* * *

Zuko stared at the door flap. It was blue and patterned with a large, white lotus flower just like all the others he had seen. This one was different, though. Behind this one, his Uncle Iroh sat waiting for him. The black-haired boy dug the toe of his boot into the snowy path repeatedly, trying to buy himself time. He still had no idea how he was going to look his uncle in the eye, let alone _talk_ to him. The Fire Nation prince had always been less eloquent than people thought he would be. Just because he was royalty, did not mean he articulated himself well.

He took a deep breath and pulled back the curtain. The igloo was filled with candles, many of them burned down to stubs. Uncle Iroh sat with his back to Zuko, meditating. The lotus-patterned cloth fell back into place behind Zuko, and the change in light seemed to alert the boy's uncle of his presence although he did not abandon his meditative stance.

"Welcome, Nephew."

"Uncle," Zuko said curtly.

"I assume you have many questions for me."

"…Yes."

Uncle Iroh sighed deeply and turned around on his cushion. "Then we shall not put them off any longer. The more we do, the more they cut into the time you have to learn the technique I must teach you."

Zuko removed his crimson- and charcoal-colored cloak (a gift from Katara and Sokka's grandparents) and sat across from his uncle, battling to keep his anger at bay. It was starting to rise up inside of him again, boiling and bubbling through his veins like a wildfire. He took several deep breaths to calm himself; they didn't work as well as he had been planning, but they worked enough and he found the strength to speak up.

"Why did you abandon me, Uncle?" he asked, accusation ringing through his voice.

"Nephew, you mistake orders for abandonment. When I left you with Chief Hakoda and his children in their tribe, it was not to abandon you. I was told to return to the Order as soon as I could. I made arrangements to be with you and your mother for the remainder of that week. Unfortunately, her passing forced me to return to your father with her body ahead of schedule."

"Then why didn't you visit? You couldn't have at least _written_?!"

"My orders were to make sure you were safe, Zuko. I knew that leaving you in the care of an old friend would ensure that. I could not have any contact with you; it would put you in danger of your father's wrath."

Zuko snorted. "I am not afraid of Ozai, Uncle. And what were you doing all these years that you couldn't come find me?" He was being rude, he knew that, but he was mad and his uncle's easy resignation had given him no time to vent his frustration and anger toward the older firebender.

"I was working for both the White Lotus and your father."

"Ozai is _not_ my father," Zuko spat. "He is a pathetic excuse for a man and for the leader of our country."

Iroh made a noise of assent. "Nephew, I am sorry you feel that I let you down in some way, believe me when I say that that was not my intention. I hope that sometime soon you will be able to forgive me. I meant only to protect you from certain danger."

Zuko bowed his head and stared at his hands, guilt washing over his mind. This was his uncle; what had he been thinking? Uncle was not one to abandon those he cared about.

"Are you ready to learn now?" the older man asked.

"One more question, Uncle."

"Yes?"

"Did Mother want… Did she _want_ to kill Grandfather?"

Uncle Iroh looked at him for a brief few seconds, seconds that seemed to stretch on into eternity to Zuko. "No, Nephew," the answer finally came. "But she had her orders and her loyalty to the Order of the White Lotus would not allow her to deviate."

Zuko nodded. He still felt as though the image he had held in his head and heart of his mother all these years had been broken into thousands and thousands of pieces, but maybe one day it would be okay. The prince smiled wryly. Katara was getting to him with her optimism.

Uncle Iroh stood and moved toward the door, beckoning for Zuko to follow him. Zuko complied, fastening his cloak as he did so. His uncle led him out the door and down the twisting path in silence. The pair of firebenders passed the little ice hut where Zuko had left Katara to her healing lesson; it was silent now, and the girls that had been hanging around outside had dispersed. Briefly, Zuko wondered how his friend was taking her lessons, but turned his attention back to his own lesson when he and his uncle stopped in a clear area on top of a snowy hill.

"For the rest of the week, Nephew, I will be teaching you the art of creating and redirecting lightning," Uncle Iroh said.

Zuko raised an eyebrow, interested. "You can do that?"

The older man nodded. "Of course I can, but it will not be easy and you must try to not lose your temper with it. Lightning requires focus and determination; you cannot be distracted. For now, we will start with the basics." Iroh crouched down, drawing his finger through the snow. "Each of the four elements finds an opposite in another." Zuko recognized each of the four elements drawn roughly in the snow as his uncle pulled his hand away. They were separated by two intersecting lines; at the top left was earth, at the top right was water, at the bottom left was fire, and at the bottom right was air. "Do you know your opposing element, Nephew?"

"Water," Zuko replied without a hint of hesitation.

His uncle smiled. "Many people believe that the elements are separate, that they have no relation to one another, but in order to create and redirect lightning, we shall look to the waterbenders for our inspiration…"

* * *

Katara concentrated harder on the mock wound on the dummy. Sweat was beading on her forehead; she was rapidly growing frustrated and losing focus.

"Remember," Yugoda was saying, "you must first draw out the infection with the water before you can begin healing the wound. If you heal the wound with the infection still in place, it will be harder to heal your patient and they may not survive for long after. Concentrate…find the infection, seek it out…"

The young bender bit down on her bottom lip, searching for the infection as the old lady had instructed her to. She could feel it, but she couldn't seem to reach it. An idea struck her suddenly, if she couldn't pull it out with the water encasing her hands, perhaps she could push and pull the water out, drawing out the infection in the process. Carefully, she moved her hands and allowed the water to gather between them, then bent the silvery liquid toward the wound gently proceeding with her idea. As she pulled the water from the wound, she could feel it growing heavier and the gash was looking less and less serious. It was working!

Blocking out her frustration, Katara threw herself back into the task. She could do this! Sooner than she expected, all of the infection was in the little orb of water she had been working with and her teacher applauded.

"Now, find some clean water-"

Katara bent the dirtied liquid into an empty container and retrieved clean water as instructed.

"-and heal the wound."

The wound was the easy part; within a matter of seconds, Katara had the hole sealed up. The dummy looked as good as new.

"Excellent work, dear," Yugoda praised. "Now, we'll move onto burns and if you have no severe struggles, tomorrow we'll cover illnesses."

Katara bit back a grin. This was easy.

"Remember," the older waterbender continued as she prepared the dummy, "burns require even more concentration than lacerations or cuts. The chi flow is not as easy to reach and therefore calls for all of your power. Also, the closer the burn is to the heart, the harder it will be to heal and the more strength and concentration you will need. Burns near the heart cause more problems than you would think."

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

An hour later, Katara was released from the tiny building, with Yugoda's praises on her ears. The waterbender wondered where Zuko was; he had promised he would come find her when he was done with his own lesson. There was no way Iroh was still working with his nephew, was there?

As she wandered down the winding path, the blue-eyed girl kept her eyes peeled for any signs of her friend or his uncle. She spotted a small group of girls her age near a large, open area and, remembering earlier in the day when the group of girls learning healing had stopped to stare at Zuko, Katara made her way over to them, trusting her instincts. Wherever Zuko was, girls were sure to be.

Sure enough, Zuko and his uncle stood in the clear area, bending their arms in a familiar motion. Stepping closer, Katara realized that they were performing a movement similar to that of one she had practiced long ago when she was learning to waterbend. Whatever it was they were doing, it was either based off of or had something to do with her own martial art. Upon her arrival, the other girls glanced at her and then hurried away; Katara recognized one of them as the girl that had said hello to Zuko outside of Yugoda's healing hut. Kasumi, wasn't it?

Whatever the girl's name was, she obviously did not like Katara, if the dirty look she gave her fellow waterbender before she sauntered off was any indication. Katara brushed it off, more interested in the display before her.

The firebenders did not practice for much longer, though. Instead, they bowed respectively to one another and then Zuko picked up his discarded cloak, slinging it over his shoulders.

"Good afternoon, Miss Katara," the prince's uncle called over.

"Hello, General Iroh," she replied. "How are you?"

"I am very well. If you will excuse me, I am late for a tactical meeting."

As he strode off in the opposite direction, Zuko wandered over to where Katara stood waiting, running a hand through his damp hair, making it stick up in all sorts of directions. "Sorry I didn't get to meet you," he immediately apologized. "Uncle is a very driven man."

Katara smiled at her friend. "That's okay. Did you talk to him?"

Zuko's jaw stiffened. "I didn't get to talk to him about everything, but I did talk to him and he cleared some things up."

The pair set off back to where the ship was docked; the group was staying in the cabins instead of taking up the little space the Order had for visitors. Their booted feet crunched into the snow and ice as they strolled down the path, in no hurry to get back to the docked vessel.

"Why is your uncle teaching you waterbending?" Katara asked after curiosity had finally gotten the better of her.

Zuko looked amused by her question. "He's actually teaching me to handle lightning. Turns out he figured out how to redirect it and the act of separating the energies is based on waterbending."

The waterbending girl nodded in understanding.

"How was healing?"

Katara shrugged. "She pushed me to my limits, but it was mostly everything I already know. Tomorrow she's teaching me how to treat unnatural illnesses; ones that are brought on by poisonings and pollution. After that, I think I'm pretty much done." She looked up at him as he remained silent. The prince's hair had straightened itself back out, no longer ruffled from the way he'd run his hands through it. His pale skin was almost translucent under the overcast skies of the North. Next to him, she felt small and distinctly feminine; the top of her head barely reached his shoulder. Not for the first time, did it strike the young waterbender just how handsome her friend was.

She glanced at the rough scar that covered the left side of his face, reaching from the side of his nose and gradually widening until it disappeared beneath the cover of his jet black hair. Katara kept her depressed sigh to herself. Zuko never talked about the scar, nor did he acknowledge it. Sometimes, the water tribe princess wondered how he had gotten the wound, but she never asked. If Zuko ever wanted to talk about it, he would.

Seeming to feel her eyes on him, the firebender turned his own golden orbs upon her and she felt her face flush.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Katara offered him a nervous smile. "Well, I was…um…" She spluttered. _Spirits! Is it so hard to give him a compliment?_ she asked herself. "…Never mind."

"…O-kay."

Upon reaching the water tribe ship, the pair split off for their separate rooms. The smile Zuko gave her as they parted was enough to send butterflies into Katara's stomach and to make her heart pound.

Katara breathed a sigh of relief as she shut her door softly and rested her back against it. Her heart hammered gently in her chest and she did her best to ignore the giddiness that was rolling around in her stomach as she removed her parka and flopped face-up on her bed. She blinked up at the ceiling, realization setting in as she willed the butterflies to go away and let her heart calm down.

The way she felt whenever he was near…

The way she couldn't help but seek out more contact whenever he made the tiniest bit…

The way she couldn't help but admire him…

…

The waterbender almost didn't believe herself.

She had a crush on Zuko.

* * *

Zuko was staring blindly at the ceiling as he lay on the top bunk in his and Sokka's shared room pondering Katara, when the water tribe warrior entered the room, whistling some cheerful tune that Zuko did not know.

"Hey, man," Sokka said.

The other boy made a noise in response, not really registering the fact that the older brother of the object of his thoughts was even there.

"You okay?"

Zuko shrugged, knowing that Sokka probably would not notice. He returned to his thoughts.

There was something different about Katara lately. Or maybe it wasn't Katara, maybe it was him. It was like Sokka had said: the only guy outside of their family who _hadn't_ hit on Katara was Zuko himself. Was his denial of having anything other than platonic feelings toward the pretty waterbender coming back to bite him in the ass? Somehow, that did not seem like the right solution. His thoughts were nearing the edge of his comfort zone and he was really wishing that Sokka had not come back to the tiny room. The brown-haired boy was still whistling and he was banging around in the trunk of supplies that doubled as a sort of desk. It was getting hard for Zuko to concentrate on his thoughts properly. When he was thinking things as private and complex as the ones he was thinking now, Zuko needed peace and quiet. Sadly, he knew that asking Sokka to shut up would not work. The warrior couldn't take a hint to save his life, not even a straightforward one.

The firebender folded his arms behind his head, doing his best to block out Sokka's banging around. He closed his eyes and the image of Katara's pretty face formed beneath his eyelids, completely unbidden. As soon as it did, the banished prince sat up abruptly in his bed, startling Sokka and smacking his head on the low ceiling.

"_Shit_!"

Stars exploded in his vision and he was vaguely aware that Sokka was snorting with laughter. As they cleared, Zuko lay back down, purposely ignoring his friend's quieting chuckles. The exclamation had been more out of shock than pain, and not necessarily the shock of hitting his forehead. For a few minutes, he allowed his epiphany to sink in.

He had never been one for butterflies and that giddy feeling, but…

He blinked up at the traitorous ceiling.

Did he?

_Do I what?_

Did he actually have slightly-more-than-platonic feelings for Katara?

He rubbed at his bruising forehead.

_Yes… I do have…feelings for Katara._ Zuko groaned. "Damn it!"

"That's probably gonna bruise, want me to go find Katara so she can heal it?" Sokka offered helpfully.

"NO!!"

"…Okay… I was just trying to help, sheesh."

* * *

Katara could feel someone watching her. It was nothing like that uncomfortable feeling she got when the guys in the tribe she did not know stared at her; it was more familiar. She picked at her stew, trying to subtly glance around the table to see if she could catch the perpetrator. It wasn't Sokka, he was to busy wolfing down his food in the most inappropriate way… Dad was conversing with General Iroh, a serious look on his face… Sokka's sword master (Master Piandao, if she recalled correctly) was talking to Yugoda and a woman who looked like she was from the Earth Kingdom, and none of them were staring at her… Zuko (her heart jumped to her throat and started beating erratically) was picking at his food like she was and not making eye contact with anybody whatsoever. Not even that stupid Kasumi who was leaning around her neighbor and batting her eyelashes at Zuko again.

Sighing in defeat, Katara returned to picking at her stew. As soon as she did, the warm, comfortable gaze returned to her again. Not lifting her head, the waterbender raised her eyes to see that Zuko was staring at her across the table. Startled, she dropped her utensils beneath the table. Turning scarlet, she ducked beneath the table to retrieve them and then excused herself from the table, entirely too excited to finish her meal.

Zuko had been staring at her, and while she had not been able to read the expression in his eyes, she had not missed the small smile on his face as he watched her. Mentally berating herself and beating down her girlish hopes that there was a chance her friend returned her feelings, Katara hurried out of the large, icy structure for some air. She gulped in the cool air, immediately regretting that she had forgotten her parka. Tonight it was just a little more than freezing cold outside. Shivering, she wrapped hugged herself, only to find a familiar black cloak draped around her shoulders a few seconds later.

"Cold?" Zuko's low voice came from behind her.

She smiled shyly and turned to face him, thanking the spirits that she could blame her reddened cheeks on the wind. "Thank you, but what about you?"

He shrugged. "Firebender."

Katara giggled. "Right. I always forget that."

Zuko smiled slightly. "Are you okay? You ran out of there kind of fast…"

"I just needed some air."

"Do you mind company?"

"Not at all." Katara took his proffered arm and they walked slowly down the pathway. The waterbender was strongly aware of the fact that her stomach was churning nervously and her heart was thumping unsteadily in her chest again, but she tried to fight the nerves away, telling herself that this was _just_ a walk with a guy who was _just_ a friend. He didn't feel anything more for her than friendship, and she was just going to have to settle for that.

"Katara, I wanted to, uh…" Zuko began to say, and she looked up at him, curiosity surging through her veins. "Well, see I just thought I should tell you that I, uh… I hit my head!"

Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach, and she kind of doubted if it would ever resurface again.

"I was wondering if you could try to get rid of the bruise for me."

"Sure." Katara uncorked the waterskin at her waist and squinted up at the prince's forehead in the dying sunlight. There was a smallish bruise above his right eyebrow. Encasing her hand in the water, she pressed her fingertips to his pale skin, willing his chi flow to right itself.

The bruise was gone within a matter of seconds, but Katara allowed her hand to linger for a few more, feeling the smooth skin of the firebender's forehead beneath her damp fingers. His eyes fluttered shut and she took a step closer to him, her hand trailing down the side of his face and finally dropping away as she bent the water back into her hip flask. The prince's eyes snapped back open, holding her captive in his golden gaze. Her heart constricted as his hand somehow found hers and he twisted their fingers together. Katara had no idea what to do; this felt like entirely new territory.

"Katara, I-"

The sound of approaching footsteps cut off Zuko's words and he dropped her hand, stepping away. Katara tried not to feel too disappointed. After all, she really had no idea what he was about to say, and if he had been intending on saying what she had been hoping, they had a long time to get to that place.

"Hey, guys," Sokka greeted them, slinging an arm around each of their shoulders. "What's goin' on?"

Katara shrugged. "Nothing really."

"Okay… Well, Dad sent me out to find you two. Dessert's about to be served and he wants to know if you're okay, sis."

The waterbender met her elemental opposite's gaze and smiled softly. "I'm perfect, Sokka. There's absolutely nothing to worry about."

* * *

Aang stared out over the water, leaning on his staff as he mourned Katara's absence. It had only been a few days, but he was starting to suspect that something had gone horribly wrong. By now, the waterbender, her brother and father, and Zuko should have reached Kyoshi Island. He should have gotten a letter from Katara by now! What if she had been taken captive by pirates? Worse, what if _Zuko_ had somehow gotten to her?!

The young airbender forced himself to calm down, taking several deep, relaxing breaths. Surely if something had happened to Katara, Chief Hakoda would have sent word. Besides, Zuko knew how Aang felt about Katara. There was no way he would hurt her or try to make her choose between them. Sometimes he got the feeling that Zuko had some sort of hidden feelings for their waterbending friend, but Aang was confident that, if it came down to it, her heart would remain loyal to him and him only. She was perfect, and perfect girls always stayed with the man who loved them most.

Smiling serenely, Aang set down the staff he had been leaning on and settled into a waterbending stance. He had always found Katara's martial art to be meditative and relaxing, what he was not prepared for was the jet of water that shot up from the water when he raised his hand in the air. Surprised (though that word seemed hopelessly inaccurate), the airbender stared at his hands.

"What in the name of the four nations…?"

Tentatively, he tried the move again. Again, a pillar of water shot up out of the sea. Aang paled. This was _not normal_. Since when could he bend water? He was an air nomad born and raised! There was no waterbending in air nomad culture! Sincerely hoping that it was all just a fluke, Aang snatched up his staff, opened it up, and soared back to the village, trying to put the incident from his mind.

* * *

**Next Chapter's Lyrics**

"Well you drive me crazy half the time/The other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true/And I'm only me when I'm with you" - "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" by Taylor Swift

* * *

**A/N:** So, according to my notes, I've planned out twenty chapters for this story, but I'm starting to think it might take longer than that for me to finish this. It's kinda funny because I'd originally planned for _Shaping Destiny_ to be my large piece and for this one to be smaller, but I think it's gonna turn out opposite. While I love writing both pieces, it's hard to know what I'm doing sometimes. But don't worry, I'm still going to update both on a regular basis (once again, no promises). I hope this chapter was a little more satisfying than the last; I know I've been gone a long time and that a lot of people have probably forgot that this little story exists, but if you like it tell your friends, etc. I love getting reviews! I hope my Aang bashing eased up a bit this chapter, for those of you who were complaining. Like I said before, I'm not fond of him. I shouldn't have to apologize for that, but hey - if it makes you feel better…

Questions, comments, constructive criticism, etc. welcome. If you feel like you have to flame, go ahead. I'm just gonna laugh at you.


	6. Chapter V

_When her father-in-law is slaughtered in his sleep, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation escapes the tyranny of the palace with her 13-year-old son Zuko, the victim of a burn to his left eye at the hands of his father, and her brother-in-law, the retired General Iroh. They plan to take refuge in the Southern Water Tribe with the aid of Chief Hakoda. However, when an illness takes Ursa's life and Iroh is called back to the Fire Nation, Zuko is left to grow up under the watchful eye of Chief Hakoda._

_Years pass and Zuko finds that he has unintentionally caught the eye of the chief's daughter, Katara, a beautiful and sassy waterbender reluctantly being pursued by a childhood friend. Suddenly caught up in an unorthodox romance, Zuko finds that maybe love isn't so bad…if not a little messy._

* * *

**Ships: **Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka, possible Taang

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure

* * *

**A/N: So, here's a fun story. I lost my voice. Not that having a voice matters in writing, but I just thought it was interesting that, as I was sitting down to call my best guy friend, I completely lost mine. So now that I'm sitting here at my desk waiting for the blasted thing to return and wishing that I had avoided all of my sick friends like the plague (nah, just kidding…kinda. I love them and everything, but way for them to ruin the one thing I was looking forward to today by giving me a really nasty cold), I've decided to crank out the next update. I hope you enjoy it and that none of you who are reading this are sick like I am.**

**A/N 2: It's extra long, too. Longer than usual, actually. It topped out around 6,816 words.**

* * *

Matters of the Heart

By RupertLover09

* * *

Chapter V

"_Well you drive me crazy half the time/The other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true/And I'm only me when I'm with you" - "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" by Taylor Swift_

* * *

Zuko reached out into the air, fingers searching for the energies, trying to separate them. Nothing met his fingertips, though; he could not find the energies his uncle wanted him to find. Instead, all he could see was Katara who was a few yards away practicing her bending against Sokka who was waving his sword erratically.

"Sokka!" she was yelling. "Put some effort into it! If you don't fight properly, then there's no reason for us to even train!"

"I don't wanna hurt you!" he hollered back. "You're my little sister!"

Zuko did not hear Katara's angry response, instead he dropped his stance and stared as she whirled around, a water whip trailing after her, and her brunette locks fluttering with her momentum. The firebender stared. The water whip collided with Sokka's abdomen and knocked him to the snow-covered ground.

"Watch it, Katara!"

"I'm not going to hold back, Sokka!"

Zuko kept on watching as the siblings fought, his golden eyes trained on Katara. Ice suddenly shot from her fingertips and he was reminded of a long ago memory, somewhat faded with time, but still there in the back of his mind. It was of a girl with jet black hair and pale skin, with sharp knives hidden up her sleeves. He flinched as he remembered her. His little sister's best friend…

He wondered what had happened to the girl. Surely nothing good if she was still around Azula…

"ZUKO!"

Said prince snapped back to reality. "Yes, Uncle?"

"You must _concentrate_." Uncle Iroh's eyes shifted to the twirling waterbender. "Ah, I see you've found _someone _more important than your _training_."

Zuko felt himself turn scarlet. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Uncle," he said stiffly. "I just…lost my train of thought."

"To a much more interesting subject, I see."

"It… I…The yelling distracted me!" Zuko stated indignantly, folding his arms over his toned chest in a distinctly juvenile manner.

"Nephew, there is nothing wrong with admiring a beautiful woman, but it has its time and place. Learning to redirect lightning is _not_ the time _or_ the place. Let us return to the lesson at hand now."

Zuko rolled his eyes and sank back into his stance muttering, "I wasn't _admiring_ her," under his breath. If Uncle Iroh heard him, he made no indication.

"Imagine the lightning heading for you… Prepare yourself for the hit…"

Zuko breathed deeply, imagining his fingers absorbing the lightning and dragging his arm in toward his stomach. _In through one arm, down through the stomach, out through the other…_ he chanted in his head.

"Good. You are making excellent progress, Nephew."

The younger firebender blinked wearily at his superior. "Will I get to practice with _real_ lightning before I leave this afternoon, Uncle?" he demanded, abandoning his stance once more.

"_No_. And do not ask me again. I will not put your life in danger. This technique is to be used _only_ in dire situations. If the time comes for you to use it, practices like these will have been enough. Again!"

_In through one arm, down through the stomach, out through the other… In through one arm, down through the stomach, out through the other…_

* * *

Katara growled. Sokka was refusing to put up a proper fight. He was running around her like an idiot, brandishing his sword like he had never had proper training (and that was far from the truth). He had some stupid notion in his head that he was going to hurt her.

Katara scoffed. _Please! Sokka wouldn't even hurt a glow fly._ This realization only pushed her more. If he couldn't even fight his own little sister (in a sparring match nonetheless!), how could he fight off any enemies that came their way? She spun in a circle, catching him in the stomach with a water whip again. This time, he stayed on his feet, cursing mildly at the small sting of the lashing.

"Damn it, Katara! That hurt! What did I ever do to you?"

"I'm not going to ease up on you just because you're my brother, Sokka! So quit trying to ease up on me!"

"Katara, you don't even _need_ to train anymore! You're already a master!"

"Just because you master something doesn't mean you don't need to keep working at it!" she shot back, summoning more water from the ground. With a flick of her wrists, the water started to form into icy disks which she then launched in her brother's direction. He cut through one of the disks and she grinned at her small triumph, a grin that melted as soon as he simply leapt out of the way of the others. "This _isn't a joke_! We need to be completely prepared for this mission!"

"We _are_ prepared, Katara! We've been preparing _all week_! Give me a break!" Sokka sliced through an octopus arm that was swinging toward him, the odd black blade of his sword cutting through the liquid like it was air.

Katara paused in her actions, narrowing her eyes at her brother. "Fine. Block five more hits and we'll quit."

Sokka seemed to debate this in his mind, finally giving in with a defeated nod. He stepped away a few paces and took his stance, breathing deeply as he gathered his concentration. Katara nodded back. He was finally taking this seriously. Again, she gathered more water, wrapping it around her arms so she looked like she had water for sleeves. She took the first step, swinging one arm forward, aiming for Sokka's knees.

_Hit him in the knees, break his root, he'll go down,_ she thought to herself.

Seeming to anticipate her move, Sokka simply jumped over the length of water and ducked as she sent the other one flying at his head. "Two!" he called out.

Katara glowered at him. "I don't think so! You just avoided the attack!"

"Fine!"

Kicking her heel into the snow, Katara created a pillar of ice that launched her toward her brother. Hitting the ground running, she created a wall of ice that curved up into the air and slid around on it like she was ice skating, gathering up more water and sending dull icicles straight toward her older brother as she circled around his back. The chunks of ice whistled through the air and Sokka turned, sword at the ready, and batted them out of the way.

"One!"

Growling to herself, Katara put more energy into the fight. Subtly twitching her fingers as she gathered more water in the other hand, the waterbender turned the snow beneath her brother to ice. She sent another water whip in his direction and as he went to move, his feet slipped out from under him and the whip smacked him in the knee.

"You turned it into ice!?" he howled from where he was sitting on the ground. "Oh, that's it!" Sokka pushed himself off the ice to clear ground and set off running in her direction.

Katara grinned. "You make things too easy, Sokka!" Again, she turned the snow beneath him to ice and he fell to his knees, sliding across the ground as she formed a ring of octopus legs around her own body. One after the next, she sent them swinging in Sokka's direction. He blocked three of the eight, meteorite sword cutting through them with ease.

"Four!"

Katara started running, sending water whips, disks of ice, and more icicles over her shoulder. With her free hand, she summoned more snow from the ground, allowing it to melt in her hand. Pivoting on the spot, Katara brought the water around her body, freezing it as it lashed out at her brother. Sokka's eyes widened but brought his sword forward, cutting through the ice. Instead of slicing all the way through, the sword got stuck and he swore.

"That's five," Katara told him, panting heavily. "You win."

"That's great," Sokka said sarcastically, "but maybe you could give me my sword back!" He tugged worthlessly on the hilt of the weapon, trying to pull it free of its icy prison.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Katara sighed as she let the water wash over the last of her dirty clothes. They were getting ready to leave, and she was starting to doubt that she was ready for this mission. Who knew if they were even going to be able to do this? Three teenagers against the Fire Lord? The odds did not seem very good. And what good would she and Sokka do? From what she had gathered, Ozai was an incredibly prejudiced man, and ruthless too. They were going to have to do some great acting in order to convince him…

Despite her confident outlook around the others, Katara was actually very concerned about this idea of her dad's. She was second guessing her abilities as a waterbender, she was concerned for Sokka and Zuko, and a little worry about Aang was creeping into her mind as well. She had heard her dad and Zuko's uncle discussing the reincarnation of the Avatar in hushed tones, and Aang's name had come up along with several others. She was hoping that they didn't think Aang was the Avatar. He was too young to create balance in the world, he didn't deserve to have that weight on his shoulders. It was a responsibility meant for a man, a leader. Aang was still a child.

Pulling the clothes from the squat, round tub, Katara bent the water out of them and then folded them up neatly so she could put them in her bag.

_Only the necessities,_ Dad had said. _Everything should be provided for you once you reach the palace._

Katara was being forced to leave behind a lot of things, as were Sokka and Zuko. Unlike Katara and Zuko, however, Sokka had proceeded to complain about it until Hakoda had threatened to make him stay behind. After that, her brother had shut up, not wanting to miss out on the adventure.

The water tribe princess made her way back to her tiny room below decks, humming to herself a song that her mother had taught her a few months before she died. It was a love song, of course, but it was about two very different people who shared a bond that transcended the war their tribes were having. It was less about love when you looked at the situation in the story the song told, but Katara had grown up believing in and looking for that love, that bond.

The story the song told claimed that the girl and boy had been friends in their younger years and gradually fallen in love. But the girl's father had split off from the central tribe to start his own, not liking the fact that he had to share power with the boy's grandfather. Upon their separation, the girl and the boy were forced to leave the feelings they had for each other behind. But when the boy learned that the girl was engaged to marry someone she did not know, he whisked her away and married her in secret. Their marriage worsened the warring between their tribes for a short time before the girl's father and the boy's grandfather finally saw how compromise and peace could create something beautiful.

It was a terribly cheesy and clichéd song, but when Kaya had told it to her daughter, Katara had fallen in love with the song and the tale it told. Ever since she had learned the words to the song, she had been hoping she would someday find that kind of love. She wondered if the adventure she was heading out on would bring her to that love….

Maybe it would be with a certain firebender.

A certain firebender that was currently lounging across her bed, a scroll open in his pale hands.

Katara "eep"ed and almost dropped her little basket of clothes. What in the name of the water spirit was he doing in her room? Scratch that. What was he doing _on her bed_? It was the furthest thing from appropriate she had ever seen!

"Zuko! What're you-? I…" Katara spluttered, looking for the words that would not form.

The prince looked up from his scroll to her, flushing slightly but giving her a wide smile (and by wide smile, she meant a small smirk. Zuko rarely smiled with abandon). He cleared his throat, ruffling the back of his hair as he rubbed his neck. "H-hey, Katara. I didn't think you were going to be back so soon…"

"What are you _doing_ in here?" she finally exclaimed, still not daring to cross the threshold.

He shrugged. "I had to escape your brother. There's only so much Sokka one person can take."

"So you came…here."

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh."

There was a bit of an awkward pause during which Katara scuffed the toe of her boot against the wooden floor and Zuko rolled up his scroll. The silence stretched on forever as Zuko looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she debated on whether or not she was going to actually enter her room while he was in there. If she did, Sokka would probably get all freaked out and overprotective like he was wont to do. But what Sokka didn't know wouldn't hurt him… She nibbled on her lower lip thoughtfully, missing the way Zuko's eyes followed the motion hungrily.

"Are you coming in? It _is_ your room," he said.

Katara turned scarlet, bowed her head in embarrassment, and stepped into the tiny room. She set about packing her small bag, struggling to find a topic of conversation as she ignored her hammering heart. She prayed her dad, brother, or one of the crew would not walk in. Spirits knew the chaos that would ensue. Chaos with Sokka at the center throwing a hissy fit. She threw open the trunk in the corner of her room and gently took out the oil painting of her mother, staring at it blankly. The waterbender felt as though she were looking in a mirror, but her mother's eyes didn't blink, her face didn't budge. Sighing deeply, Katara placed the picture on top of her folded clothes and cinched the pack shut.

"You look like her," came Zuko's voice from behind her.

"Huh?" she asked intelligently.

"Your mom. You…look like her."

"Yeah. That's what Dad says. I don't really remember much about her." Katara placed her bag by the door, playing with a lock of her hair as she tried to remember anything but the song and what little the picture brought back to her mind. "She used to sing to me," she continued wistfully. "It was this song about a boy and a girl from warring tribes who fell in love. That's all I can really remember is that song and the way she used to sing it when she was working around the house. Sokka's lucky. He has more of her to remember; he got more time."

Zuko nodded, scooting over on the tiny bed to make room for her to sit next to him. She did so, playing with the hem of her dress.

"When I was little, my mom used to tell me the story of how Omashu got its name," Zuko said quietly. "Do you know it?"

Katara shook her head.

"She told me the story so many times I know it by heart. Apparently, there's this cave where Oma and Shu were buried. Maybe if we have time we can take a detour."

Katara did not ask who Oma and Shu were, she just smiled at her friend and squeezed his calloused hand gently. "That sounds really nice."

* * *

Seven sunsets graced the sky. Seven sunrises painted the mornings. On the eighth morning, Katara was surprised to find that the little ship had brought her, her brother, and Zuko to the docks of a little shipping town. She glanced around in wonder; it had been a long time since she had been to visit the Earth Kingdom. For a moment, all her worries about the impending war and her current journey slipped away as she stepped onto the creaking wooden dock.

All around her, there was action. Men were loading and unloading barrels, boxes, crates, and bins. There were several stalls set up where vendors sold scrolls with the news, fish, and all sorts of other things. A small boy was leading a bull pig and a cow pig through the crowded area by ropes. Bags of pig-sheep wool were leaned against the wheel of a cart, and the wool was growing whiter in the sun. Everything around the waterbending girl was organized chaos.

"Zuko and I are going to see if we can get some ostrich horses," Sokka told her, leaning down so she could hear him. "Don't wander too far."

Katara nodded walked a few more paces until she found cause to stop by a small stand where a bamboo cage held a number of baby rabbits that were hopping around their small enclosure spastically. Smiling, Katara poked her fingers through the bars of the cage and stroked the bundles of fluff, cooing at them.

"Alone?" came a deep, silky voice from somewhere to her right.

Katara straightened, flushing a deep scarlet as she met the mischievous, brown-eyed gazed of a rather handsome boy around Sokka and Zuko's age.

"I'm Jet." He held out a hand and she shook it, feeling rather self-conscious. Here she was after days of travel on a tiny ship, wearing her worst clothes, and admiring _bunnies_ of all things, and a boy was _talkin__g_ to her. She turned even more red when she realized she was still shaking his hand. "Do you have a name?" Jet asked. He talked around a piece of straw but seemed rather accustomed to it.

"I'm Katara," she said, completely forgetting the rabbits.

"You're not alone are you?" He asked. The question seemed urgent, but he didn't give her the time to ask her. "Pretty girls like you shouldn't be out wandering by themselves these days."

"_Excuse me_?" Katara exclaimed, taking a step back and preparing to fight if she had to. She had an advantage after all: he had no clue she was a bender.

"No, that came out wrong. It's just that we've had some weird occurrences lately. A whole bunch of these Fire Nation soldiers showed up and were hanging around here for a while. They weren't the nicest men."

Something told Katara that this boy, this Jet, was keeping something hidden and stayed alert as she replied with, "No. I'm here with my older brother and our friend." He seemed harmless enough, but she did not feel like being taken by surprise and overpowered. There had been something a bit off about the way he had said "Fire Nation," as though he was holding some kind of grudge.

"Oh!" Jet seemed to relax then, if the way his smile widened was any indication "That's good. At least you're not alone. Where are you traveling to?"

"Omashu," Katara said. Maybe he could help by giving her directions…

He brushed his shaggy brown hair out of his tanned face. "My friends and I are traveling to the Cave of Two Lovers," he told her, "we'd be glad to show you the way to Omashu!"

Katara grinned. A guide to their destination _and_ a handsome boy? Fate was definitely her friend today. Even if there was something not quite right about him. That something felt like a feeling she was familiar with. She could put it aside for now and accept the help or not.

…And she definitely would.

* * *

Zuko watched to make sure that Sokka was handing over the correct amount of money to the grumpy old woman. For someone who was supposed to become the leader of an entire tribe one day, Sokka was not exactly what Zuko would call street smart. At least, not when it came to foreign lands. The old woman grabbed the gold pieces with her grubby hands, chomping down on each of them with her rotting teeth, some of which were already missing. She smelled like month-old fish and stinky feet. It was worse than any other old person smell the prince had ever encountered. And he had met a lot of elderly people.

The old woman's decrepit husband sat in the corner of the little shanty. Zuko had been afraid that the man was dead until he had given a massive, grunting snore and his wife had thrown a ratty scroll at him. He had awoken with a start and a yell, and now he was sitting there staring at the two boys.

"I'm going to go find Katara," Zuko muttered to Sokka as the old woman yelled something at her husband in a weird sort of gibberish that the prince doubted was an actual vernacular of the Earth Kingdom. "Make sure the old woman doesn't try to rip you off."

Sokka nodded. "Okay."

Zuko stepped from the dark, one-room building and into the brilliant light of day. As his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light, he scanned the crowds for the pretty, blue-eyed waterbender. He started backtracking to where he and Sokka had left her after not spying her anywhere near the crumbling shack. He finally spotted the back of her head, her blue clothes making her stand out in the crowded street. There was a boy around his own age talking to her, flicking the dark brown bangs out of his eyes as he smiled widely. Zuko suddenly felt an overpowering, burning rage searing through his veins. What did Katara think she was _doing_? You didn't just go to another _country_ and talk to _some guy_! Especially not one who was so _clearly _only talking to her because he thought she was pretty. The firebender clenched his hands into tight fists, knuckles popping and turning white as he pushed his way through the crowed over to where Katara was talking to the boy.

"_Katara!"_ he barked, grabbing hold of her upper arm.

She let out a startled cry, whipped around, and the next thing he knew he was laying on the ground flat on his back, completely winded from Katara's relatively small but powerful fist colliding with his stomach. He blinked, clearing the stars from his vision. The sun beat hotly down on him from above and he could feel peoples' eyes on him as he lay there.

"Oh, spirits! _Zuko_." Katara leaned down and offered him a smooth, soft hand. He took it and she hauled him up off the ground. The prince was very well aware of the way her hand curled around his bicep to steady him and the faint pink tinge that graced her cheeks, but he glowered darkly at the other boy who was smirking rather rudely.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Name's Jet."

Zuko didn't shake the hand that Jet offered him. Instead, he continued to glare.

"Right!" Katara jumped in, clinging to his arm with both of her hands now. He looked down at her, momentarily forgetting Jet as she looked up at him with shining blue eyes. "Jet's going to show us the way to Omashu."

"Sokka and I can get to Omashu without help, Katara."

"Well, he offered…"

"I'm sure he did," Zuko said darkly, returning his harsh gaze to the tan male who was watching them in a rather amused way. "Why don't you leave her alone now." It wasn't a question, it was a demand, and Jet seemed to realize that. He shrugged it off, though, infuriating Zuko. Who was this guy? Who did he think he was to flirt so openly with Katara and then deny any request her elder made? Zuko could feel the rage and jealousy swirling through his body, muscles tensing up.

"_Zuko_!" Katara hissed, looking scandalized as he peeled back his upper lip and growled.

Jet grabbed the hilt of one of two hook swords that hung by his waist. Zuko noticed the movement, but Katara did not, she was too busy trying to pull him away. Zuko stayed rooted to his spot. If this guy wanted to start something with him, Zuko would be more than happy to fight back. There was no way in the name of Agni that some other guy was going to swoop in and steal Katara away before he even had the slightest chance.

"Zuko, stop it," Katara whispered harshly. "What on _earth_ is your problem?"

It was at that moment that Sokka arrived, three ostrich horses in tow. "Hey, Katara, Zuko… New guy whose name I do not know."

"I'm Jet." He reached past Katara and Zuko to shake Sokka's proffered hand.

"Sokka. Nice to meet you."

Zuko shot his best friend an incredulous look. Did Sokka not see what he saw? An arrogant jerk who just wanted one thing from Sokka's precious baby sister? From the friendly smile Sokka was giving the newcomer, Zuko guessed not. And Katara was looking at him in the worst way now, her nose all screwed up like she was about to cry. Her eyes were all squinty too. She looked like she had just swallowed a lemon.

The firebender opened his mouth to apologize, but she turned to Sokka instead, explaining that Jet was going to show them the way to Omashu. Sokka agreed wholeheartedly and that was how Zuko found himself staring dejectedly into the flames of a campfire he had lit as Katara, Sokka, and Jet told ghost stories that he cared nothing for. There were two small children who had joined them before they had left the busy little village. There was a boy by the name of Longshot and a very tomboyish little girl who claimed her name was Smellerbee. They were enjoying the stories as kids should, eyes wide and mouths hanging open. Across the flames, Katara's ocean-colored eyes reflected the light, sparkling and setting off a desire that burned its way past Zuko's skin and into his heart as he watched her.

He stood up and walked away as Sokka launched into a new story about a man-eating rabaroo-cow-pig hybrid, needing a break from the situation. Never before had he wanted to run someone through with his swords until he'd seen Jet talking to Katara. _His_ Katara. And Katara had just stood there with a sweet little smile on her face, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

_This is why you shouldn't fall for your female friends_, he berated himself mentally. _You get stupid and ruin your friendship._

"Ugh." Zuko sighed moodily and kicked a small pebble at the base of an ancient tree. A chunk of bark fell off and tumbled to the ground gracelessly. He scowled at it as he sat down beneath the tree, resting his head against the trunk.

"Zuko."

He kept his eyes squeezed shut, even as the waterbender nudged him with the toe of her boot.

"Zuko, what's wrong with you? You just got up and left and you've been acting really weird ever since Jet said he'd show us how to get to Omashu."

"I don't feel like talking about it, Katara."

"Did I do something?"

"No." _Yes._

"Then what's going on?!" she sounded exasperated.

"Nothing."_ You invited that jerk Jet along on __**our **__adventure._

There was silence for a moment and then:

"_Will you quit blocking me out?!_" Katara shrieked.

Zuko stared at her with wide eyes. She was standing before him, hands balled into fists and eyes wild. Her cheeks were flushed a brilliant scarlet. He stood up slowly, holding his hands up in defeat. "Katara-"

"No! It makes me _crazy_ when you do that, Zuko! Do you have _any idea_ what it's like to be friends with someone who just closes off at random times? You can be so…so _infuriating_ sometimes! Would you just _talk _to someone instead of being all weird?!"

"This isn't something I can talk to you about, Katara," Zuko said quietly, refusing to raise his voice to the level hers was at. Yelling at Katara when she was yelling at you only made things worse. One time, she had gotten into a screaming match with Sokka and her bending had gotten wildly out of control. She had demolished three large buildings in the center of the tribe's village that day. It definitely wasn't her proudest moment.

"Then talk to Sokka!"

Zuko snorted and Katara looked affronted. "I can't talk to Sokka either," he explained. _Like I would tell Sokka I like you_, he added in his head.

"…Why not?" She was quieting down; it was a good sign.

"I have my reasons, Katara. It's kind of personal, okay?" She looked unappeased. "I promise that when I can tell you, I will."

"…Fine."

* * *

_When I can tell you, I will._

Katara sighed and rolled over onto her back. The forest floor was lumpy and cold, even through the thick material of her sleeping bag. Before now, she had always imagined the forest as a calm, silent place, but in reality it was anything but. There was a monkey of some sort chattering above her, birds were chirping, and Sokka was snoring worse than he ever had before. Thus, Katara was left to ponder Zuko's words and attitude. He had gotten moody and distant before, but never as bad as now. She wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that she had punched him back in that village.

That hadn't really been her fault, though! He had sneaked up on her!

Punching her pillow into a more comfortable shape, Katara sighed again. _Stupid forest…_

"Katara, go to sleep," came Zuko's groggy voice directly from her right.

"I can't!" she whispered. "It's too loud out here!"

"Quit concentrating on it so much then." She heard him yawn and roll over. "Just…close your eyes and count until you fall asleep."

After a pause, Katara squeezed her eyes shut and began to count. "One…two…"

"_Not out loud!_ Other people are trying to sleep, too!"

"Sokka's snoring louder than I was counting!" she protested quietly. "You know, maybe it would help if I was a bit warmer…"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Oh, come on!"

"No. Sokka would kill me. I don't feel like dying."

There was a sudden but quiet, "Will you two shut up?" from Smellerbee who was sleeping in between Jet and Longshot on the opposite side of the dwindling campfire. Despite her toughness during the day, the young girl appeared to be very afraid of the dark and had insisted on sleeping by both of her friends.

"Sorry," Katara heard Zuko mutter. "Seriously, K'tara," his voice was becoming muddled and slurred by sleep now, "jist go…sleep…"

Katara listened intently to his slow breathing, blocking out the sounds of the nightlife in the forest and matching her own breaths to match her friend's. As she slipped into sleep, she felt a soft, warm pressure on top of her hand but did not have the ability to shake it off in her stupor.

* * *

Zuko was standing in the middle of a field of fire lilies, the weight of Fire Nation armor bearing down on his shoulders and the sun beating hotly against his face. The flowers were a brilliant red, most of them having just bloomed. Katara stood next to him in a long gown made of a blindingly bright white silk trimmed in white fur. Her hand was clasped firmly in his own and she was smiling at him softly, her long brown hair framing her face in gentle curls.

"Don't worry," she was saying, "if there's no one by your side when your soul embarks, I'll follow you into the dark."

Zuko wanted to ask her what she meant, but he couldn't speak. His mouth seemed glued shut, he couldn't move his body. He tried reaching out to her, but suddenly she was gone, her hand tugged roughly from his own. A sharp knife whistled through the air, its sound piercing, and slammed into the ground with a dull thud right where Katara had been standing next to him in her white dress. It quivered on its tip, glittering maliciously in the sunlight.

"Hello, Zuko," a flat, bored voice said from somewhere behind him.

Still, he could not turn, could not speak. He was imprisoned in his own body, unable to do as he pleased. Where was Katara? Who was this new girl speaking to him?

"Long time, no see, Zuzu. I could've sworn you were dead."

_That _voice he knew anywhere. It was cold and biting and heartless. _A__zula_, he thought grimly to himself, wishing he had movement right now so he could firebend her out of his life for once and for all.

"Tsk, tsk," Azula continued. She was still standing behind him, and he was guessing the other girl was, too, since he hadn't seen her yet either. "A water tribe whore, Zuzu? Father won't be very pleased with you…"

A chill ran forebodingly down Zuko's spine.

He sat up abruptly, gasping for air. Everything around him was dark, Sokka was snoring on the other side of Katara. Zuko was holding the waterbender's hand tightly in his own. She was sleeping peacefully, a small smile ghosting across her face. Jet was poking the embers of the dying fire with a stick, a disgusted look on his face.

"Nightmare?" the brown-haired boy's tone was mocking.

"Don't talk to me," Zuko spat, lying back down, this time closer to Katara like she had requested earlier. He kept their fingers intertwined, secretly hoping that Jet would notice and just leave them all be.

"Oh, don't worry. I don't talk to Fire Nation scum like you."

Zuko ignored him.

* * *

**Next Chapter's Lyrics**

Everyone knows it's meant to be/Falling in love, just you and me/'Til the end of time/'Til I'm on her mind/It'll happen - Jonas Brothers "Just Friends"

* * *

**A/N: **So, did anybody get the Death Cab For Cutie reference? That was my favorite part! I adore DCFC and I couldn't resist adding that little touch. It's a really fantastic song, and I don't know of many people who know it, but I've been listening to it as I've been writing and it's one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. Anywho! It would be fantastic if you guys would review! Like it, hate it? Tell me! This was definitely the longest chapter thus far, and I really hope you liked it. I'm not the greatest at fight scenes, so the sparring match between Katara and Sokka might have been a little lackluster, but I'll make up for that with a good dose of Zutara next chapter, I promise. :)


	7. Chapter VI

_When her father-in-law is slaughtered in his sleep, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation escapes the tyranny of the palace with her 13-year-old son Zuko, the victim of a burn to his left eye at the hands of his father, and her brother-in-law, the retired General Iroh. They plan to take refuge in the Southern Water Tribe with the aid of Chief Hakoda. However, when an illness takes Ursa's life and Iroh is called back to the Fire Nation, Zuko is left to grow up under the watchful eye of Chief Hakoda._

_Years pass and Zuko finds that he has unintentionally caught the eye of the chief's daughter, Katara, a beautiful and sassy waterbender reluctantly being pursued by a childhood friend. Suddenly caught up in an unorthodox romance, Zuko finds that maybe love isn't so bad…if not a little messy._

* * *

**Ships: **Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka, possible Taang

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure

* * *

**A/N: And **_**this**_** is why I don't make promises to update all the time. I came home from school, prepared to sit down and write and, as it turned out, the internet was down all over town basically. So here's a big, cheerful "THANKS A LOT" to the internet company that so loves to destroy my dreams of being a good, competent authoress who updates regularly. But here's that dose of Zutara goodness I promised ya'll last chapter :)**

* * *

Matters of the Heart

By RupertLover09

* * *

Chapter VI

"_Everyone knows it's meant to be/Falling in love, just you and me/'Til the end of time/'Til I'm on her mind/It'll happen" - Jonas Brothers "Just Friends"_

* * *

She awoke the next morning to Sokka's voice, several octaves higher than it should have been, screaming, "_Zuko! Get your Fire Nation paws off my little sister!"_

Slowly, Katara sat up, disentangling herself from Zuko's grasp and rubbing at her eyes with fisted hands. Zuko was not far behind her. Sokka had his sword drawn and the sharp, black tip was aimed right at the Fire Prince's throat. The sun was just beginning to rise and Katara was certain that Sokka did _not_ want to provoke Zuko when Zuko was gaining back his power.

Jet, Smellerbee (the little girl that Katara dearly wished was a bit more clean and feminine), and Longshot (the boy who didn't really talk) were staring at them across the fire in amusement. Katara felt her cheeks redden. What a scene they must make: Zuko looking bored and a bit put out; Sokka glaring down at the two of them, his chest heaving and the hand that held his sword shaking slightly; and her, the Water Tribe girl who had fallen asleep in the arms of a boy she was not even dating.

Scrambling to her feet and dusting off her dress, Katara steered Sokka away from Zuko so the raven-haired boy could get up. He did so, honey-colored eyes regarding Sokka in amusement. Katara could see her brother's eyes narrow in anger.

"What the _hell_ were you _doing_ to my _baby sister_?" he screeched.

Zuko shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno. Didn't see her complaining, though," he said cheekily.

Katara's already scarlet cheeks turned a deeper red as she shot a glance at their traveling companions. This was, quite possibly, one of the worst ways to wake up in the morning. Especially after traveling so far the day before. Katara was absolutely _mortified_.

"Sokka, _please_ calm down," she begged quietly. "It wasn't what it looked like. Honestly. It must've happened when we were sleeping."

Sokka looked at her disdainfully for a few moments before softening under her pleading gaze as big brothers are wont to do. "Fine, fine. I'll let it slide," he muttered, shifting his look to Zuko. "But I've got my eyes on you, buddy."

It was only when Sokka turned away that Katara smacked Zuko unnecessarily hard on the arm and hissed, "Quit provoking him!"

"I wasn't provoking anybody," Zuko said, too much innocence ringing clearly through his voice for her to believe him.

She rolled her eyes and began tugging a brush through her tangled hair. She knew that the little band of friends across the fire were still watching her interactions with Zuko though they seemed deep in conversation.

After a quick breakfast of berries and nuts that the little group had gathered the previous night, they were on the road again, heading in what Katara could only assume was the direction of the Cave of Two Lovers.

"It's the most direct way to Omashu from here," Jet told them all as they trotted down the rocky path. "You'll have to pass through it in order to get there, but it shouldn't be a problem."

"Can't we just go around it?" Sokka asked.

"From what I've heard, going around the cave takes longer than going through it," Jet replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

Katara noted that Zuko had remained mysteriously silent ever since breakfast had ended and the group set out again. He and Jet (Katara sent an admiring glance at the handsome Earth Kingdom teen's back) had some sort of weird animosity toward each other; they did not talk to one another, they did not look at one another… It did not sit well with the waterbender and though she longed to bring it up, she did not. She knew that Zuko would not appreciate it.

Still, the problem remained at the back of her mind, nagging at her relentlessly. Katara was absolutely positive that Zuko and Jet would be great friends if they tried hard enough. Even though she hardly knew anything more than Jet's name, she got the feeling that he and Zuko probably had quite a bit in common.

As the little group traveled further and further into the mountains, Katara got more and more tired of the sustained silence. The only thing remotely close to spoken words was Sokka humming a seemingly made up tune to himself. The louder he hummed, the more irritated Katara got.

Soon enough, he was quietly whispering a song that sounded so familiar that Katara groaned. This was what she got for wishing somebody would say something!

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves… I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, and this is how it goes!" Sokka sang softly. Katara was the only one who could hear him, but the volume of her brother's voice was increasing. "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves! Everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goessss!!"

The waterbender cringed and Zuko looked over at Sokka, incredulity written all across his marred face. The look clearly said, "Really, Sokka? Grow up!" But the warrior was too busy singing to notice.

"I KNOW A SONG THAT GETS ON EVERYBODY'S NERVES! EVERYBODY'S NERVES! I KNOW A SONG THAT GETS ON EV-"

"_Shut up_!" Smellerbee hollered, glowering darkly in Sokka's direction.

Sokka clamped his mouth shut, looking terrified and a little sheepish at the same time. Katara could see Jet's shoulders shaking and she knew he was laughing. Zuko was shaking his head, looking as embarrassed as Katara felt. Longshot blinked at them all dourly, clearly not amused by the situation.

It was a quiet, blissful half hour before Sokka started to sing again.

"Ohhhhh! I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts!"

"SOKKA!" the others yelled in unison.

"Okay, okay…I was just trying to have some fun. Sheesh."

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Katara stared around at the stony walls carved into the mountainside. Tangled green vines crept up the smooth stone and the world seemed sweetly silent. There was no twittering of birds, no hum of bees…just silence. Unlike the awkward quiet the group had been traveling in, this hush was refreshing and soothing. Katara reveled in it. Trees sprouted along the top of the walls, bathing the corridor in a cooling shade and a breeze swept gracefully through the stillness. Not even Sokka had the nerve to break the peace and quiet.

"We'll travel with you through to the other side," Jet said, his voice barely audible above the clomping of the ostrich horses' feet. "After that, we have some other things to take care of. You should get to Omashu alright."

The dark, dank mouth of the cave loomed before them now, dripping with moss and other vegetation. Katara shifted uncomfortably in her saddle as she stared up at the abyss. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to walk properly again after getting off the ostrich horse.

The little group entered the cave and Katara felt the temperature drop drastically. The dark slowly swallowed up the sextet and Zuko lit a flame in the palm of his hand, holding it up so that everybody could see. The waterbender completely missed the angry look that Jet shot her best friend; she was entirely to distracted by the ceiling and the deep rumbling noise that was coming from deep within the bowels of the cave.

"Um…are you sure this place is safe?" she called to Jet, surprised at how loud her voice echoed in the cavernous area.

"I'm sure it is."

Somehow, Katara was not comforted by that answer. They were coming up on what looked like a fork in the tunnel and the rumbling was getting louder, almost overhead. She looked around, worry creasing her face and invading her senses. She could smell dust and she coughed as it burned her lungs. In front of her, Zuko looked around in concern. The ostrich horses were whinnying in distress.

A great, explosive crack shattered the cave and Katara screamed, diving from her mount as rocks and debris showered stormily down from the ceiling in torrents. She heard Sokka yell something and Jet scream something in response, but everything was plunged into darkness as the tunnel was split down the middle.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

She woke up to a soft, red glow and Zuko's worried eyes staring deep into her own. For a moment, she was completely disoriented, wondering where she was, why it was so dark, and why the ground beneath her was slightly damp, but she regained her memory within a few moments, slowly easing into a sitting position.

"'Tara? Are you okay?"

Katara nodded, clutching at a sore spot on the back of her head. "Did I… Did I hit my head?"

"I think so. You went down pretty hard." The firebender looked up at the crumbled stones that separated them from the rest of the group. "We're blocked off from the others. I can't hear them through the wall, though. The ostrich horses got crushed so we're going to have to walk out of here."

The blue-eyed girl nodded, leaning back against the cool wall of the tunnel. "Do you think the others are okay?" she asked quietly.

"I hope so."

Something…some tidbit of a story flickered at the back of her mind and she looked at the object of her affections curiously. "This is the Cave of Two Lovers," she stated.

"Uh…" Zuko looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah. It is."

"The way to Omashu."

"Yup."

"Does this have anything to do with the story of how Omashu got its name? Remember? You told me that your mom used to tell you the story of how Omashu got its name. You said you'd tell me the story some time. Is this cave part of it?"

Zuko smiled and chuckled quietly. "You can't just ask me to start in the middle of a story, Katara," he told her, holding out a hand to help her up. "I'll tell you as we're walking so we can try to find our way out of here."

Katara took his hand and let him help her up, but she didn't let go of the familiar appendage as they walked, taking comfort in the firm way his fingers laced through hers.

**

* * *

**

Sokka gaped at the wall before his eyes, not daring to believe that it was actually there. A few pebbles streamed down from the top of it, pelting the ground in a hideously loud fashion. Fear streamed through his veins and into his heart. What if Katara was hurt? What if one of those falling boulders had crushed her? His heart pounded in his chest.

"Your sister and your friend are fine," came Jet's voice from behind Sokka. The warrior whirled around. "And your ostrich horse is still alive. But barely. I'd suggest that you get your bags before it dies."

Sokka did so, hardly registering his movements. He slung his bag and Katara's bag over his shoulders, then bent to help Jet lug Longshot to his feet. The boy swayed unsteadily, but muttered a small offering of thanks that fell on deaf ears.

"You're sure Katara's okay?" he asked the Earth Kingdom teen.

Jet nodded in what Sokka assumed was supposed to be a reassuring manner but actually came off as cold and distant. "I think the majority of the rocks fell on this side of the tunnel."

"Jet?"

"Yeah, Smellerbee?"

"Is that ostrich horse bl-blood or…m-mine?"

"It's not yours," Jet replied, kneeling down by the girl and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're okay."

"How're we supposed to get out of here?" Sokka demanded.

"Double back and go around the cave, I suppose," Jet said. "We'll probably run into Katara and the Fire Nation scum on the other side."

Sokka frowned. "Zuko's not scum, Jet. He's my friend and he's a good guy. I don't get what your problem with him is and I honestly don't care. You just need to get over it." With that said, Sokka turned his back on the little trio and started making his way back to the entrance of the Cave of Two Lovers, left hand trailing along the smooth wall to guide his journey.

* * *

Zuko growled in frustration as he and Katara hit another dead end. It was the fourth one they had stumbled across and the firebending prince was ready to scrap the entire thing and turn around. The only thing preventing this was that every time he looked over his shoulder, the cave's tunnels seemed to be changing.

The worrisome thing was that it wasn't even his mind playing tricks on him. Katara had caught the tunnel walls shifting as well. What kind of place was this that the walls shifted and turned the tunnels into a labyrinth? He raised his hand that held the dancing tongues of flame higher to see as far ahead as he could, dimly aware that water was dripping slowly from the ceiling and then remembering the story Katara wanted him to tell.

"Long ago," he began, noting that Katara's head snapped to look at him, "a man and a woman from feuding towns met one another on top of this mountain. Although it was dangerous for them to meet because of the conflict between their people, they continued to do so in secret."

Here, Zuko guided Katara down the middle of three forks, hoping it was the right way to go. It would not be very impressive if he managed to get them even more lost than they already were.

"As the man and woman continued their secret romance, they learned earthbending from the badgermoles and created these tunnels so they could meet one another without fearing the wrath of their people. Anyone who tried to follow them into the tunnels would be lost forever in the maze. During the time the two continued to meet, the arguing between their towns developed into a war and one day the man didn't come to meet the woman."

Katara's hand tightened around his, he could feel her eyes trained on his face as he talked. He could almost sense the sparkles that lit up the stormy blue depths of her eyes whenever she heard a story for the first time, and he smiled to himself at the thought.

"What happened to the man?" the waterbender prompted, her voice hardly more than the barest whisper.

"He died," Zuko stated pragmatically with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "He was killed in the war between the towns.

"The woman was angry and she released her fury in a frightening display of earthbending but eventually declared that the war was over. Not long after, she died as well and their people came together to create the city of Omashu. The name is the joining of their own names: Oma and Shu.

"According to legend, they are buried within these tunnels in sarcophagi that bear their story and the idea that 'love is brightest in the dark.'"

Katara stopped walking and Zuko halted as well, turning to face her with a questioning glance. She looked up at him for a moment, a small smirk playing about her lips before she broke out into a wide grin.

"That's such a romantic story!"

"It's a legend, Katara. Almost no part of legends are true," Zuko said, shaking his head. "My mom used to tell it to me when I was little. It's probably just a story to claim that Omashu got its name in an unusual and romantic way."

"It's myths that aren't true," Katara protested. "This story is real."

"How do you know that?" he demanded.

"Well, if you _paid attention_, you'd see where that last little turn brought us," she shot back, gesturing to the open space they were standing in.

Zuko felt his jaw flop open as he looked about. "Well, Agni be-"

"Don't even _think_ of finishing that sentence while we're in here."

Zuko stepped further into the atrium-like space, unintentionally dragging Katara along with him as their hands were still linked together. The flames in his palm flickered on the crumbling stone walls and the gigantic carving in front of him and Katara. Two stone people with pieces of their bodies, cheeks, and hair missing were kneeling on the floor of the cave, kissing one another with cracked and broken lips. Time had clearly done the stone carving no favors.

Between the man and the woman was a tall marble column that, upon further investigation by the fire and waterbenders, told the story Zuko had just relayed to his blue-eyed friend and admitted to having doubts in. On either side of the couple were two sarcophagi. Katara looked at him triumphantly.

"See?" she exclaimed. "_Real!_"

"It may be real," Zuko said, "but we still don't know how to get out of here."

Katara hummed thoughtfully, staring at the story etched into the marble column between the kissing couple. "'Love is brightest in the dark,'" she murmured pensively, blue eyes darkening with thought. "'Love is brightest…'"

As she continued to think, Zuko continued to look about. Other than the tombs and the statues, the room was empty. A little flight of stairs on the opposite side of the vast, dark space led to what looked like another tunnel. This seemed like a good prospect until Zuko noticed that there was another archway and set of stairs that looked just like it. Just as he was about to pull a coin from his pocket and do a heads-or-tails test to see which new tunnel they should take, Katara shouted, "I've got it!"

"Got what?" he asked, meandering back over to her, secretly admiring the way the light in his hand played over her glossy brown hair.

"I know how to get out!" she exclaimed, pointing to the last characters on the column.

"Katara," Zuko said, raising an eyebrow at her, "that's the same line you've been looking at for the past ten minutes. I don't think it helps us."

"It does," she insisted. "All we have to do is believe in love and you have to put out the light…_put out the light_-"

Zuko hurriedly complied, subsequently plunging them both into a pit of pitch black darkness.

"-and then we wait. There should be something that shows us the way out!"

After a few moments of unsuccessful silence and stifling, suffocating blackness, Zuko conjured up another group of flickering flames. "I don't think it's working, 'Tara…"

"Weren't you believing in the power of love? Because _I _was, Zuko, so you _couldn't _have been, _otherwise _there would have been a _clear sign _showing us the way out!" She sounded slightly hysterical.

"I think it's something else," Zuko replied. "Something more obvious and physical than just believing that love will show us the way."

Katara immediately turned away and began scuffing her toe in the dirt under her booted feet. "Well…I _did_ think of something else first, but I wanted to try this way because it wasn't quite so…" her voice trailed off, though, and she did not finish her sentence.

"What was it?" Zuko asked, wondering why he was talking so quietly all of a sudden and taking a step closer to her.

Katara pointed wordlessly at the kissing couple that loomed above them.

"I don't get it," Zuko said quite honestly, shaking his head.

"I-I think we have to, y-you know…" Here, she gestured toward the likenesses of Oma and Shu again, and what she was suggesting finally registered in Zuko's mind.

"You want to kiss?!" he shouted incredulously, nervously, voice bouncing off the walls and ceiling of the cave.

Katara looked horrendously offended and, oddly enough, vaguely hurt. He studied her beautiful face, her eyes which were lit up with swirling emotions, and he swallowed hard. Agni be damned. He _wanted_ to kiss her and there was a look in her eyes that said, "I dare you."

The question was: _could _he kiss Katara? Could he kiss her and let their friendship fly out the window just like that? Because if Zuko kissed her, he knew she would figure it out.

He took one last, long look at her face before placing a gentle hand on her soft cheek and taking that final step, closing up the distance between them.

"If you think it's the way," he murmured, extinguishing the light in his other hand.

* * *

Sokka was wandering aimlessly down the tunnel with Jet, Longshot, and Smellerbee following his footsteps, when a brilliant blue light flooded down from above. He looked up to see a trailing of turquoise crystals lining the ceiling and shining with a strange luminescence that he had never seen before.

"What the…?"

"I think this shows us the way out," Jet said, wonder filling his voice. "I just don't get why it's lighting up all of a sudden…"

"This is weird," Sokka stated. "I'm not following them. I'm going back to the tunnel entrance."

There came a series of long, painfully loud howls that echoed down the tunnel from where Sokka was guessing the entrance was in response to his statement.

"O-on second th-thought," he spluttered out, "l-let's follow the sh-shiny blue things!" With that, he took off running the way the crystals indicated he should go, tripping over one of the dead ostrich horses in his haste.

* * *

Zuko was kissing her.

Honest to goodness kissing her.

And spirits how he could kiss!

It was long and soft and languid and his hands were splayed across her back in such a fashion that he seemed to be holding her up. Which was kind of a good thing seeing as how her legs had suddenly turned to water…or jelly…or some other unsubstantial substance and her knees were threatening to give out at any moment.

Katara sighed in contentment and pressed herself closer to Zuko's body, feeling one of his hands slip up into her hair to cradle the back of her head and the other slide down her back, resting lightly on her bottom. His lips pressed against hers, gentle yet insistent, as though he wanted more. As though he believed there could be more than just this moment.

She was starting to believe that, too, when he abruptly pulled away and stared at her with wide, golden eyes that looked an almost silver color in the sudden light of blazing azure crystals that were embedded into the ceiling above them. For a few seconds, the pair of benders stood there, bewildered by what had just passed.

The blue-eyed waterbender cleared her throat reluctantly. "Um…Zuko?"

Zuko blinked down at her, clearly at a loss of what to say or how to say it.

"Your hand is still…on my butt," Katara choked out, flushing a brilliant crimson color.

The scarred prince immediately leapt away from her as though she had burned him. He clenched his hands into fists and looked around the room, obviously as embarrassed as she was by the whole situation.

"Um… How about we don't ever mention that this happened?" Katara suggested with a small, brave smile.

Zuko grinned back tensely. "Er…yeah. Sounds good." He punctuated his words with a short little laugh that sounded forced and awkward.

Katara nodded as though that settled the matter and then led the way out of the tomb where the two lovers' bodies rested, following the path that the shining crystals had set and hoping that they did indeed show the way out of the cave.

As they walked along in silence though, following the lit up pathways and taking the tunnels it indicated, Katara could not seem to shake the feeling of Zuko's lips on hers and the tingles that had gripped her spine and sealed her feet to the floor as he kissed her. If she had not been sure of her feelings toward her longtime friend before, she certainly was _now_.

And spirits was she in trouble.

From here, her feeling would only deepen and intensify, she was sure of it. What was she supposed to do if that kiss had just been a fluke? If the way he had looked at her before he kissed her had only been in her mind?

Katara gripped the necklace around her slim throat, hoping that it was not all a mistake or her mind playing tricks on her.

* * *

When Sokka, Jet, Longshot, and Smellerbee all emerged from the cave, it was to see a brilliant pink and orange sunset gracing the sky. Katara and Zuko were standing about ten paces away from each other looking both awkward and satisfied at the same time, little secretive smiles dancing across their faces.

Relief flooded through Sokka's body as his blue eyes fell on the form of his sister, and he scooped her into a massive bear hug which she returned with a smaller amount of ferocity.

"You're okay!" the warrior bellowed at both his friend and his little sister, joy enveloping his voice.

Katara laughed. "Yeah, we're fine. Where are the ostrich horses?"

"They got crushed by the rocks," Jet said. "The three of you will have to walk to Omashu. Luckily, it's not far. You can see it from here."

Sokka looked to where the other boy was pointing, noticing that the aforementioned city was looming ahead of them. Within its walls and streets there was an earthbending girl waiting to accompany them on their mission and then the scary part of their journey would begin. Sokka glanced at his sister who was staring at Zuko who was looking at Omashu.

Things were about to get interesting indeed.

* * *

**Next Chapter's Lyrics**

And you're on fire/When he's near you/You're on fire when he speaks/You're on fire/Burning at these mysteries - "On Fire" by Switchfoot

* * *

**A/N: Ahahaha! Did you guys love your Zutara moment? **_**I**_** did! Anywhosies, reviews would be lovely, my lovelies! Please see that you do. Questions, comments, suggestions…I take them all!**


	8. Chapter VII

_When her father-in-law is slaughtered in his sleep, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation escapes the tyranny of the palace with her 13-year-old son Zuko, the victim of a burn to his left eye at the hands of his father, and her brother-in-law, the retired General Iroh. They plan to take refuge in the Southern Water Tribe with the aid of Chief Hakoda. However, when an illness takes Ursa's life and Iroh is called back to the Fire Nation, Zuko is left to grow up under the watchful eye of Chief Hakoda._

_Years pass and Zuko finds that he has unintentionally caught the eye of the chief's daughter, Katara, a beautiful and sassy waterbender reluctantly being pursued by a childhood friend. Suddenly caught up in an unorthodox romance, Zuko finds that maybe love isn't so bad…if not a little messy._

* * *

**Ships: **Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka, possible Taang

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance/Adventure

* * *

**A/N: Whoa! Okay. I am so super sorry about the delay in posting this! I am very easily sidetracked, and my life has been incredibly interesting and busy lately. I just got back from a two week stay with my brother in Texas, graduated the day before I left, had family in town for said graduation, went on my senior trip, went to Prom, had a ton of exams to take and papers to write, and found out that I'm going to be an aunt! In all the excitement, I wound up neglecting my writing.**

**I once promised myself I would update this story two to four times a month. It seems that I have officially failed myself. And you guys. Epically. So, if you guys forgive me for all of these ridiculously long delays, I'll forgive myself. Now for a…**

**NEW CHAPTER!**

**In this one, we get to visit several different places, and meet some more characters, all of whom you should already know. If anyone is OOC, let me know. I don't have much experience in writing Azula, Ozai, and Ty Lee. And I've never written Mai. Needless to say, this chapter is kind of new territory for me.**

**Enjoy! And once again, I'm sorry for the hideously long wait.**

* * *

Matters of the Heart

By RupertLover09

* * *

Chapter VII

* * *

_And you're on fire/When he's near you/You're on fire when he speaks/You're on fire/Burning at these mysteries - "On Fire" by Switchfoot_

* * *

Katara could feel every single pair of eyes drifting to her face as their little trio passed through the streets of Omashu. Self-consciousness kicked in, and the waterbender ducked her head, brown tresses falling to hide her face from the curious stares of the city's denizens. The lank strands of hair hung in front of her eyes, dust-coated and greasy. Every muscle in her body ached until the point where she wanted to scream from the effort it took to take a step. Katara shuffled wearily behind her brother and Zuko, no longer able to actually lift her feet.

Every speck of dirt on her body felt like it was multiplying by the second. Her traveling tunic and pants were stiffened with mud, ostrich-horse blood, and dirt; the small bag she carried on her back weighed another pound with each shuffling step she took. Sweat rolled down the back of the waterbender's neck, hot and sticky, making her hair glue itself to her skin.

The grungy, nasty feeling only worsened when the little group traveled past a bathhouse. Katara whimpered quietly as she eyed it. What she would not give for a steaming, hot bath with scented soaps and a fluffy towel!

Sokka and Zuko looked just about as bad as she felt, but neither boy complained. In fact, Katara had the sneaking suspicion that Sokka _liked_ not having to bathe on a regular basis. It was somewhat disturbing, and she shuddered at the prospect of never getting to take a bath again.

It was only when she stumbled to a halt and into Zuko's back that Katara realized they had paused outside of a small, homey-looking inn. The firebender turned and steadied her before she could fall. Offering a muttered "thank you," Katara slid away from him, still somewhat confused by the kiss she had shared with him and not wanting any more contact than was necessary. They had not really talked during the two day walk from the Cave of Two Lovers, but she had felt him watching her (and caught him at it on more than one occasion). Still, it was too awkward to talk to Zuko. What was she supposed to say to him?

The little trio entered the inn, looking around in interest. The bottom floor seemed to be a restaurant of sorts. Mismatched tables and chairs cluttered the cramped room while a long counter took up the entire back wall. Behind the counter was a doorway that was curtained off with an emerald-colored curtain. An elderly man entered the room through this curtain as the friends walked into the inn, and his eyes lit up as he looked at them. Glancing around the empty room and focusing on the strange quietness of the place, Katara guessed that they were the only people in the building other than the man. He tottered forward as the group stepped up to the counter.

"Welcome to the Glow Fly," he said, his voice more of a wheeze than anything else. A nearly toothless smile stretched across his face. "Rooms for three?"

"Just one room," Zuko said, cutting off Sokka's nod. The warrior's face fell and Katara could tell her brother was just keeping in a string of whiny obscenities. "And two cots." Zuko was trying to save their money, Katara noted. It was probably a wise decision in the long run, but Sokka would whine about it once he was given the chance.

"I have only one cot," the inn's proprietor said, looking uncomfortable. "The others are on loan across the street at the Majestic Dragon."

"That's fine."

The old man's smile returned and he recorded the transaction in a thin ledger. Katara noted that the place was either relatively new or hardly ever had business as there were only a few entries above their own. She bit her lip, feeling bad that they were only one of the few groups that had stopped in.

"Fifteen silver pieces," the man said and Zuko fished the money out of his pocket. As soon as they money was tucked into the old man's own pocket, he handed the black-haired prince a shiny bronze key hung from a green ribbon. "Room three-oh-one."

Katara bit back a groan. It was just her luck. A room on the top floor when she was so incredibly tired from walking nearly two days straight.

_Great,_ she thought sarcastically to herself as she trudged up a narrow, steep set of stairs behind Zuko, Sokka bringing up the rear. Katara could hear her brother muttering crude words under his breath but ignored him, focusing instead on the potential of a hot bath once they reached the room. Was it so terrible to want to be clean?

At the top of the stairs, Zuko halted, looked at the number on the first door, and then continued down the cramped hallway. Katara followed dutifully behind him, hearing the slow clomping of Sokka's boots as he wandered behind them. Finally, they came to a stop outside a door with the right number. Zuko opened the door and gestured her inside with a small, seemingly shy smile. She returned it and stepped into the room, dropping her bag by the door.

It was a bright but small room with four shuttered windows along the wall facing the door. To the right was a closed door she hoped led to a bathroom; next to the door was a bed covered in crisp, white linens. Across the room was a small table with two chairs.

Katara crossed the small room and set about opening the shutters on the windows as Sokka and Zuko set their bags down and toed off their boots. Sunlight flooded the room and a cool late-winter breeze brushed its way into the small space. The two boys collapsed tiredly into the chairs and Katara took the opportunity to claim the bathroom first, eager to rid herself of the journey's dirt and grime.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

"So what next?" Zuko asked, propping his feet up on the table and leaning back in his chair so that it sat only on its back legs.

Sokka shrugged, picking at a scab on his forearm. "We write a letter to the king I 'spose. Let him know we're here."

"Which king?"

The warrior stopped picking at the scab and stared at Zuko. "There's more than one?"

Zuko sighed. "Sokka, if you're going to be the chief of your tribe one day, you're going to have to learn a lot more than you already know," he said. "Yes. There is more than one king in the Earth Kingdom. There's King Bumi and King Kuei. Kuei is the fifty-second Earth King, but he rules mostly over Ba Sing Se. Bumi is the king of Omashu, so he seems the more likely choice. I suggest we write to him first. Your father sent us all here, so Miss Bei Fong has to be somewhere in Omashu. King Bumi will probably know where."

A sudden knock at the door sent Zuko to his feet. He handed a scroll along with an inkpot and brush to Sokka before crossing the room to the door. "Here. You write the letter." Yawning, Zuko opened the door to the room to reveal a pretty girl with bright green eyes and brown hair pulled back in a braid. "Um…hi?"

"Hi!" she said brightly. "I'm Jin. I have the cot you requested." She pulled forward a folded up cot as though offering proof.

"Oh! Right, just set it…wherever." Zuko beckoned her into the room, and she entered, rolling the cot along with her. Expecting Jin to leave when she was done, Zuko went back to his chair, but instead of leaving, the girl hovered awkwardly by the cot, looking uncomfortable. "Do you need something?"

"Uncle Nobu just wanted me to tell you that dinner will be soon if you wish to eat here," Jin said, her cheerful voice a little much for the sleepy firebender to handle at the moment.

"Um. Right. Thanks."

"So will you?"

"Will I what?"

"Be at dinner?"

Zuko shrugged. Why did this girl care whether or not he ate? "I don't know."

"Okay. Well, maybe I'll see you there." Giggling and waggling her fingers in Zuko's direction, Jin left the room, shutting the door softly behind her. Zuko scratched his head in bewilderment and then caught sight of Katara. She was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, free of the filth she had accrued on the walk into the city but looking positively livid.

"Who was that, Zuko?" she demanded.

"Wha…?"

"That," Sokka announced as he sauntered up and flung an arm around his friend's shoulders, "was Jin. And she had a thing for Zuko."

"She did not!" Zuko exclaimed defensively.

"Well, you clearly like her," Katara said hotly, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot on the floor.

"I don't even know her!" the prince protested, waving his arms wildly through the air. "She just brought us the cot we requested!"

Katara scoffed.

"Why do you even care?" Zuko asked.

"I _don't_!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Great!"

Instead of letting him reply, Katara stomped across the room and flung herself across the bed, burying her face in the pillows.

"She cares," Sokka whispered conspiratorially in Zuko's ear before handing him back the scroll. Unfurling it, Zuko read aloud what Sokka had written.

"'Deer Boomy. Give us toph. Love, Sokka, Zuko, and Katara.' Sokka, what in the name of Agni is this?"

"The letter you asked me to write! I finished it!"

"We can't send this to King Bumi!" Zuko exclaimed in horror.

"I don't see why not," Sokka said, sounding hurt.

"Well, for one: you _spelled his name wrong_."

* * *

Moonlight was seeping in through the slats on the shutters, casting odd lines of light on the floor of the tiny room. Katara sighed, attempting to yank some of the blankets out of Sokka's grasp. She was starting to get cold and not only was Sokka a cover hog, but he hogged the bed as well. The water bender had resorted to trying to be content with a little sliver of mattress and the edge of the sheet, but she was slowly losing her patience. Especially as Sokka gave a loud, grunting snore and kicked her in the back of the leg for the tenth time that night.

Rolling out of bed before her brother could manage to take the whole bed for himself, Katara shot him a dark, livid glare before shuffling quietly over to where Zuko lay on the cot and prodding him in the chest with her finger.

"Zuko!" she hissed. "Wake up!"

The forgotten prince mumbled something about dragons but did not awake. Instead, he slapped her hand away and scowled.

"Zuko!!" Katara poked him in the chest a bit harder, trying not to admire his well-defined muscles and the way she could feel them beneath her fingertips.

"…What…?" he cracked one golden eye open and squinted up at her in the darkness, looking beyond confused. "Go back to bed, Katara."

"Shove over," she demanded instead.

"Why?"

"Because Sokka's a bed hog, that's why! Now, shove _over_!" She pushed furtively at his arm, but Zuko refused to budge.

"And you think squeezing onto this cot with me will be any better?" he whispered. "Just tell Sokka to stop hogging the bed."

Katara snorted. "Like he'd wake up. Please, Zuko?"

The golden-eyed prince groaned and rolled onto his back. "He'll _kill_ me, Katara! After what happened on the way here… It's not a good idea. That was an accident, but this would be on purpose-"

"Oh, just shove over," Katara said in exasperation, hopping under the covers, thus making him scoot over. "You'll be the first one up anyway. Sokka will probably sleep to noon like usual. He'll never find out."

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

A million thoughts were running through Zuko's mind, the first and foremost being that Katara was trying to get him killed. He could just see the look on Sokka's face if he woke up suddenly and found his baby sister sharing a bed with his best friend. The result of that face would _not_ be pretty, and Zuko would probably wind up with some very important bits of his body missing.

Zuko sighed and shifted around. The edge of the mattress was digging into his spine and his right leg was starting to fall asleep where it dangled off the cot. He looked over at Katara. How could she complain that Sokka was a bed hog when she did the same thing?!

_But…she's kind of……cute when she sleeps._

That was the second thought racing through Zuko's mind. And it was a very bad thought to be thinking now that he thought about it. He had promised himself after their kiss in the Cave of Two Lovers that he would shove his crush on her aside. They had kissed, it was-

_Like fireworks had exploded underneath the ground and lightning struck me…_

-okay, but now he had to move on. They were on a mission. Falling for Katara would only distract him from their final goal of… What was the goal again? Kill Ozai? Overthrow him? Zuko cursed inwardly and slapped a calloused palm over his scarred face. He had already forgotten the ultimate goal of this trip!

"Damn it!" he whispered harshly, wiping his hand down his face and then looking back at Katara.

The waterbender was facing him, her mahogany locks fanned out on the pillow and her closed eyes fluttering as she dreamed. Moonbeams filtered in through the shutters, dancing across her face and gracing her features with an ethereal glow. Her long eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks. She sighed, full lips parting with the action. Zuko reached out a tentative, shaking hand and gently brushed his knuckles across her cheek, afraid she would wake up at any given moment. Katara murmured sleepily and nuzzled her cheek into his hand, but she stayed lost in her dreams.

Zuko swallowed hard and retracted his hand. This was dangerous territory he was entering. He was letting himself get in too deep. The more he cared about Katara, the worse it would be when she rejected him or found happiness with somebody else.

_But how am I supposed to stay away?_

It was like she was suddenly the firebender and she was bending a flame so bright it shimmered pure white and blazed with waves of heat and he was a moth, drawn to the beautiful light she was giving off.

_A moth to a flame,_ Zuko thought, a wry smile twisting its way onto his lips. _Punny, as Sokka would say. Well, what do you say now, Sokka? Now that your sister has got me falling for her? It's not such a laughing matter, is it?_

"No. It's not," Zuko muttered, letting his hand find Katara's under the covers. "It's scary as hell."

* * *

Aang sighed as his eyes wandered over the sunrise, a piece of paper crumpled in his fist. It was a letter from Katara, brief and not very telling at all. He already had the missive memorized.

_Aang,_ it read, _How are you? We're good but won't be able to write you very much. Dad is coming home for you. Be safe until he gets there. - Katara_

That was it. No details about how Kyoshi Island was or what everyone was doing. Aang would not have even minded a sentence about Zuko the Girlfriend Stealer! But there was nothing there. Not a word of comfort or anything that really would have come out of his beautiful waterbender's mouth in real life. _Anyone_ could have written that letter. _Anyone!_

Aang clenched his fist tighter and crumpled the disappointing letter even more than it had been. He did not get it. He thought that Katara had cared enough about him to write a long, detailed letter to him. Instead, all he got was this cold note. The only thing in it that was even _remotely_ Katara was the part where she asked him to be safe. The airbender frowned. Well maybe he wouldn't! Then how would she feel? It would serve her right for sending something like that to him if he got hurt or in trouble! He lobbed the balled up letter into the ocean with an angry snarl.

Aang would show her. She would _have_ to pay attention to him then. She would _have_ to come home to him. She would _have_ to stop forgoing him for stupid Zuko!

"Stupid Zuko," Aang repeated to himself. He could get any girl he wanted and he somehow got _Aang's_ Katara. It was the furthest thing from fair _ever_! Aang had tried so hard to win her over, tried so hard to get her to love him, but she always left him out. She always overlooked him. And the worst part was that she would not even let the older boys court her! She just gallivanted about with Zuko to her heart's content and then said no to every boy who tried. If it was anyone but Zuko, maybe Aang's heart would not feel like it was shattering into a hundred thousand pieces right now.

…No, that wasn't true. It would hurt no matter what. But did he not deserve someone as beautiful and perfect as his Katara? Did he not deserve Katara in general?

Aang shuddered. If he did not end up with Katara, who knew _who_ he would end up with?

* * *

Toph Bei Fong belched appreciatively and patted her stomach as she leaned back in her chair, her large breakfast having been devoured. "Another excellent meal, Bumi. Props to your chef," she stated blissfully. "Y'know, a girl could get used to this three delicious square meals a day kinda thing." She heard King Bumi chuckle and let a wide grin slither across her round face. Bumi was her kind of earthbender. He was a little on the crazy side and had a flair for the offbeat and weird. Running away from home at the age of twelve like Toph had _definitely_ had its merits if you could land yourself in graces as good as Bumi's. Being fifteen years old, blind, and female had its disadvantages, but those were all negated once you factored in the fact that Toph was a master earthbender and was in with the king.

She briefly wondered what her parents would think if they could see her now before asking Bumi, "So what's this mission about?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that," Bumi replied in his old, wheezy voice. "Mostly it's about saving the world from the Fire Lord's desire for world domination." Toph could imagine him waving his wrinkled, age-spotted hand through the air nonchalantly.

"Excellent!" she declared. "A little butt whooping is just what that situation calls for!" She pounded her left fist into her right hand, cracking her dirty knuckles in the process. "I can't wait to show that jerk what it's like to be on the receiving end of a fist!"

"I think it'll be a bit more…_tame_ than that, Toph."

"What d'ya mean?" Toph asked, digging her heels into the floor so she could sense the elderly king's heartbeat better. It was thumping steadily. _He's not lying_, Toph noted mentally.

"Well, I believe it's more along the lines of spying that butt kicking," Bumi said. Toph heard and felt him relax into his chair. "I don't believe the Grand Masters want a group of teenagers fighting the Fire Lord in hand-to-hand combat." He punctuated the sentence with a chuckle, but he still managed to burst Toph's bubble of happiness.

"Awww, man! That's not exciting at all!"

"Not even if you were working alongside the Avatar?" Toph could hear the bait in her old friend's aging voice, but did not rise to it.

"Working with some old fogey I don't know doesn't appeal to me, Booms. I need some more excitement in my life than that," Toph said, digging her pinky finger into her ear as though searching for gold.

"Oh ho! Aren't _I_ an old fogey, Toph?"

"Yeah, but I know you, so I don't mind working with you. Who else is coming along on this little adventure you signed me up for?"

"A brother and sister from the Southern Water Tribe and…" Bumi paused, and Toph could tell he was trying to build up the moment. She put on an excited, interested face to appease him. "The Fire Lord's exiled son."

The petite earthbender erupted into laughter so fierce that a few tears leaked from her sightless, cloudy green eyes. She could feel the salty water making tracks down her round cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me before, Bumi? _That_ is all the excitement a girl needs! I've wanted to meet that kid since I found out about him! Someone with enough nerve to speak out against a creeper like Ozai is bound to bring a little interest to this adventure! When do they get here?"

"I think they're in the city already," Bumi replied thoughtfully. Toph wondered if he scratched his chin when he talked that way. He seemed like the kind of person who would. "So we should be hearing from them soon! Up for a little bending practice while we wait?"

Toph pretended to think about her answer for a moment, tapping one dirt-smudged finger on her chin. "If you think you're up for it," she finally said. "I totally kicked your butt last time, if you recall."

"That was a fluke, young lady, and you know it!"

"Pfft! Who you callin' young lady?" Toph demanded, rising from her chair. "You're on, old man!"

* * *

Zuko thanked the green-eyed man behind the counter and exited the post office, his letter to King Bumi safely delivered. He had rewritten the letter last night after dinner. Sokka's had not even been fit to send a five-year-old. In fact, it had looked like it had been _written_ by a five-year-old. _And he's going to lead a tribe,_ Zuko thought dejectedly, shaking his head at the dismal thought. _I hope he learns a lot more than what he thinks he already knows or his people are going to be in a huge mess._

The late-winter sun beat down onto his broad shoulders and the wind whistled sharply down the street, tossing hanging signs into the air and then bringing them sharply back to place. A couple of fliers whisked past him, rattling and fluttering on the wind. He scowled and pulled his cloak tighter around his body. The transition from winter to spring was always the worst in the Earth Kingdom. It was like Mother Nature was unable to make up her mind and just let the world lurk in a nasty, muddy, brownish state for a couple of weeks and then let her true magnificence take hold.

"Hi!" a cheerful voice chirped in his ear.

Jumping like a skittish kitten, Zuko turned to see the innkeeper's niece (was her name Jun or Jin?) blinking up at him with large green eyes. He noticed that her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail today and she carried a basket of flowers. Had she followed him? Nodding so as not to encourage an unwanted conversation, Zuko continue his walk back to the inn. Unfortunately, the girl kept pace.

"Nice day," she commented.

Zuko grunted in response, recalling dinner the night before when Katara had spent the entire meal glowering at him for saying thank you to the girl when she served him his food.

"_If you like her so much, why don't you just __**date**__ her?"_ the pretty waterbender had spat venomously, bright blue eyes sparkling with malice as she stabbed her fish violently.

If Zuko had not known any better, he would have thought his longtime friend and confidant was jealous. In fact, he was actually kind of wishing that was her problem. Katara being jealous meant she was probably hiding something, and if that something was hidden feelings for him…well, then he supposed he could put up with a few angry outbursts.

_Problem is,_ he thought sulkily, _she probably _doesn't_ have any sort of feelings for me aside from platonic ones. I can't seem to figure her out. She's not like any other girl I've ever met._

"Did you sleep very well?" the girl asked, tilting her head in what Zuko supposed was meant to be an appealing manner but just made her look a little too nosy and curious.

He shrugged one shoulder in reply, refusing to look directly at her. Truth be told, he was pretty sure that his spine was permanently screwed up thanks to Katara's hypocritical hogging of the cot. He was not going to say that to this girl, though. The firebender was _not_ a fan of strange people trying to get to know him. He had had a hard enough time letting Sokka try to make friends with him five years ago, and not much had changed. If Zuko did not initiate a conversation with a stranger, then that person was not getting a word out of him. Period. Katara had been a different situation altogether. Talking to her, letting her in, that had been easy because of who she was and what she had experienced.

This little, green-eyed girl following him around like a lost polar bear dog was no Katara.

"You don't like to talk much do you?"

Zuko sighed, rolling his eyes. Her perkiness was starting to wear on his last nerve.

"That's what I thought," she said. "I don't mind, though. It's nice to meet someone who listens and doesn't just blather on about themselves. Most guys don't-"

"Look," Zuko finally grit out, stopping and piercing her with a glare. "You're a nice girl and everything, but _I'm not interested._ In fact, I'm very emotionally unavailable right now."

"Is it that girl you're with?"

"What?" Zuko asked, taken aback.

The girl shrugged, seemingly unaffected by his rejection of her. "It's just this feeling I got. She seems like your type."

"My _type_?"

"Yeah," the girl said like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Well, I don't like her."

"Yeah, okay," the girl said, rolling her eyes as a look of amusement crossed her face. "You just keep telling yourself that." With that, she patted his arm and then trotted off down an alley, her brown ponytail swinging as she disappeared.

"My 'type,'" Zuko muttered sourly to himself and scoffed as he continued walking down the street. "I don't like _Katara_."

And even if he did, it was not like he would actually _say_ it.

Zuko was pulled out of his thoughts at the sight of two men heading in his direction. They were garbed in red and black armor, skull-like helmets tucked under their arms. Eyeing the topknots in the men's raven-colored hair and the single flame insignia on their breastplates, Zuko bowed his head and ducked into an alleyway that had proved to be a shortcut on his way to the post office. Glancing over his shoulder, he chanced one more look at the men. They were obviously Fire Nation soldiers with their golden eyes and dark hair, what he did not understand was what they were doing in the Earth Kingdom. Could it be that Ozai was just that much closer to eradicating the airbenders? The thought chilled Zuko to his very core. A war was starting, and, like it or not, he was caught up in the middle of it.

* * *

Across the ocean in a dark, dank palace lit only by the occasional torch, a coldhearted princess was sauntering proudly down a marble hallway decorated with red, gold, and black banners. She was dressed in black armor and her sleek hair was pulled back into the traditional topknot that the majority of her countrymen wore; hers, however, was decorated with a three-pronged golden flame. She walked with an air of superiority, her finely shaped nose tipped into the air. She was the princess, and it was obvious she expected to be treated as such.

Flanking this princess were two girls on completely opposite sides of the personality spectrum. On the right of the scowling princess was a girl dressed in a frilly pink top and matching skirt, her long brown hair woven into a braided ponytail. A cheery smile was stretched across her face. Her antithesis was strolling along on the other side of the princess. Her long black hair hung loosely down her back, nearly blending in with her heavy black robes. Her dull gold eyes betrayed no emotions and her pale, plain face was a carefully crafted mask of indifference. She was polishing a sharp, silver dagger on the hem of her sleeve.

"Neither of you will talk to Father," the princess was intoning darkly. "I won't risk a repeat of last time. His wrath is something that I like to avoid when I can."

"That was Ty Lee, not me, Azula," the girl with the dagger said, boredom seeping into her voice.

"It's not like I meant to," Ty Lee insisted. "I didn't know you weren't going to tell him right away."

"Just keep your mouth shut this time, Ty Lee," Azula snapped. "It may be good news this time, but he still won't appreciate it coming from _you _of all people. _I'm_ his second in command, not you, and he expects all news to come from me."

The girl in pink sighed. "Yes, Azula."

The trio of girls paused outside a set of mahogany doors with an inlay of oak flames. Azula straightened the golden flame in her hair and then nodded to the two guards flanking the doors. Moving in unison, the men pulled open the doors and gestured the three friends inside.

Fire Lord Ozai sat upon a golden throne, flames curtaining him and casting his body into shadow. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee approached him, walking swiftly down the thick red carpet that led up to the throne, and then kneeling down in respect, their movements muffled.

"Hello, Father."

"What news do you have, Azula?" he queried, sounding bored and somewhat put out.

"The first of our troops headed to the Southern Air Temple have reached Omashu, Father. There have been no unwanted delays at all. It seems our mission is going to be a success," Azula reported, keeping her cruel eyes trained on the floor where she kneeled.

"_No_ delays?"

"No, Father. None. And it seems there will be no hold ups as they continue to the Temple. It looks like nobody has noticed their presence as of yet."

"Excellent," Ozai drawled, sounding as though he was less than pleased. Azula knew it was his way of indicating satisfaction and smirked to herself. It paid to be the bearer of good news. If the news was good, Father would not lash out. If the news was bad…well, Azula tried to avoid that when she could. She left most of it to the lesser people in the palace. "Now leave me. I have quite a few preparations to make."

Azula nodded and stood up. "Yes, Father." She turned and slowly exited the room, beckoning for Mai and Ty Lee to follow her. They did so, and together the trio of girls exited the dark throne room in the manner they had entered.

"So is it true, Azula?" Ty Lee asked once they were safely at the opposite end of the hallway and the heavy wooden doors were shut. She skipped up to her royal friend's side, brown braid whipping merrily across her back.

"Is what true, Ty Lee?" Azula said.

"Is Zuko really coming back to beg your father's forgiveness?"

Azula noticed a glimmer of emotion flash across Mai's face. It was there for a split second, but the Fire Princess could swear it look like something along the lines of hope. _Or_, Azula scowled, _love. What a fool Mai is. Especially to feel something for someone like Zuko. She is better off without her emotions to weigh her down._

"That's what Father's idiot of a brother says," Azula said, scoffing. "I wish he wasn't. We have been so much better off without him since he's been gone. Father and I don't need a weakling like little Zuzu hanging around."

"So what will you do?" said Ty Lee as the group exited through a door and into a sunny courtyard. "He _is_ your older brother."

"He's been gone five years, Ty Lee," Azula said and rolled her eyes as she sat down under a tree. "As far as I'm concerned, he's not my brother. He's just some weakling who doesn't see father's brilliance."

"He's just not like the two of you, Azula. That's all it is," Mai said quietly, playing with one of her stilettos. Ty Lee nodded from where she stood on her hands.

"She's right, Azula."

"I know he's nothing like the rest of us," she snapped. "Hasn't that been obvious from the start? I'm only interested in seeing how much worse he's gotten." A smirk grew across her thin, pale lips. "Father will be _so_ disappointed in him." As she laughed, she did not notice the evanescent scowl that crossed Mai's face. "Can you see it, girls? Zuzu on his hands and knees begging for Father's forgiveness… The very thought of it sickens me. I hope Father teaches him another lesson, shows him where his loyalties should lie. Zuko is _just_ like Mother was. Foolish, weak, and insubordinate."

There was a pause in which Mai looked away from her childhood friend and dug the stiletto she was playing with into the plush, green grass beneath her. Zuko was different than Azula. Growing up, he had not been evil like his sister, but he had not been purely good either, especially not to Mai when he found about her crush on him. He had just been…different. She wondered if his time away had changed him, if he looked much different than he had before he left. Mai sighed inwardly.

_I wonder if he'll even notice me…_

"Truth be told," Azula was continuing nonchalantly, "I wish he had met the same end as Mother. She always thought I was a monster and he was no different. If you ask me, they both deserved death. Father was _much_ too lenient on the both of them."

_You _are_ a monster, Azula,_ Mai thought, pulling the silver blade from the grass and then throwing it into the ground again. _They were right about you. I would not wish death on anybody. I suppose that that is where we differ._

"I heard he's bringing a gift of some sort with him, to try and soften your father up a bit," Ty Lee volunteered when Mai did not speak up.

"Do you always believe the palace gossip, Ty Lee?" Azula drawled, arching a condescending eyebrow at the pink clad girl. "Zuzu lived here long enough to know that Father has no heart to soften. You have both experienced his anger."

Mai frowned briefly. _And poor Zuko received the brunt of Fire Lord Ozai's wrath,_ she thought, remembering the agonized screams that she had heard seven years ago as she had passed the palace's infirmary. The prince had never been the same after that, though Mai did not know who _would_ be.

"Zuzu wouldn't dare try to butter Father up. He's being stupid enough as it is, coming back here. Father doesn't even want anything to do with him! He's just trying to humor my foolish uncle in his old age. That old man is becoming quite infirm, if you ask me…"

As Azula continued to talk, Mai lost herself in daydreams of what it would be like to see Zuko again. What she felt for the prince…would it be stronger or would she no longer be blinded by his presence? Would he have found somebody who made him happier than she ever could? What would she do if he had? What would he think of her when he saw her?

_What, what, what?_

* * *

**Next Chapter's Lyrics**

I can feel you all around me/Thickening the air I'm breathing/Holding on to what I'm feeling/Savoring this heart that's healing - "All Around Me" by Flyleaf

* * *

**A/N:** So, I tried to make it longer since I was gone so long. In fact, it was the longest so far! It topped out at about 7,260 words. I hope it was satisfactory! I tried to proofread as fast as I could so you guys wouldn't be stuck wondering what the crap was taking me so long, so if there are any mistakes, I apologize.

Anywho, click on the little review link and send me one, please! I promise to get the next update posted within a week if you do!


End file.
